Home Sweet Home
by Celestartial Blossoms
Summary: [SasuSaku] AU: They were childhood lovers separated by inevitable decision. After 9 years, Fate brought them together again but got the wrong first impressions from each other. They have to live in only one house ALONE. Will love bloom again? Find out!
1. A Blast from the Past

**Author's Note:** Hello, guys… This is my first time in writing fanfictions. I've been reading them since last year but I've got no time to make one. Besides, being a high school student is SO HARD. Imagine all the assignments, projects, quizzes, researches, reports, etc we always get. Sigh… Anyways, I really LOVE the anime Naruto most especially the pairing of Sasuke and Sakura. They rock! This is the reason why I decided to create a fanfic which revolves around them. I hope you'll enjoy reading this!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Besides, if I own Naruto, then, I'll make Sasuke treat Sakura better.

**Summary: **They were childhood lovers separated by inevitable decision. After nine years, Fate brought them together again but got the wrong first impressions from each other. What's more is that they have to live in only one house… ALONE. Will love bloom again? Or is it the other way around?… In the end, will they ever say HOME SWEET HOME? Find out!

**Pairings:** mainlySasukeSakura… others include NarutoHinata, ShikamaruIno, and NejiTenten

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_It was another peaceful morning in the city of Konoha. The sun was shining so brightly. There weren't any dark clouds gathering in the ethereal sky. No indications of heavy rainfall. The birds were gleefully singing their melodious tunes on the top of the branches they were situated at. All in all, today was a perfect day for the young children of Konoha to meet and play in the spacious playground._

_A seven year old raven - haired boy was seen under the shade of a full blooming cherry blossom tree located in their favorite meeting place. He used the gigantic trunk of the tree as his support while waiting for his friend, also his playmate since they were five years old. _

_His obsidian eyes darted from left to right in search for her. She could easily be seen amidst a crowd because her hair was very flashy and rare. Hers was a shade of pink. She was the only girl he knew of with that kind of hair. Even her parents' hairs were different from hers. Nonetheless, that didn't stop him from** liking** her. Yes, he liked** her.** Actually, he has a **crush** on her… Haruno Sakura. But, no one knows it even his parents… even his brother. It was his deepest secret._

_Everytime he was with her, he always put on a different act -- calling her names, teasing her, insulting her not-so-average forehead, playing tricks with her and the list goes on. The only thing that he'll never do to her was to make her cry. He **hated** those crystalline tears that would gather up in her eyes whenever she's sad. That was why, he swore to himself that he will cheer her up whenever she's like that. He will always **keep** that promise._

_Finally, after a long wait, he saw a tinge of pink running towards him. Her figure was getting clearer because she was getting near him already. She cast a smile from a far and he can't help but return it with his own. He placed his hands in his side pockets. _

"_What took you so long, Forehead girl?" he teased while flashing a smirk in his cute face._

"_S-sorry I'm late, Sasuke-kun!" she said as she was already in front of him panting and trying to catch her breath._

"_Aa" he replied. _

"_You're forgiven." He took her hand and led her to the swing where they always sit at. But before they reach it, she withdrew her hand._

"_What's the matter, Forehead girl?" he said turning around to look at her melancholy face. It was very evident in his eyes that he was worried about her._

"_Sasuke, I have to tell you s-something." she stuttered and lowered her face so that she will not see his onyx eyes._

_For the very first time, she didn't add the suffix "kun" to his name. Whatever she'll tell him must be something serious and important. This was what he thought at the moment._

"_What is it? I'm… listening…" He looked at her. Their eyes met._

"_Uhmm… you see, my Dad and me are m-moving away from here… in Konoha." she lowered her head and avoided his gaze. "We will leave by t-tomorrow…"_

'_What! She can't!' he thought, his eyes revealing anger and sorrow. _

_He didn't expect that this day would come so fast… that she'll **leave** him. He didn't know what to say. He was speechless._

_Noticing his silence, she eyed him and saw that his head was lowered, his bangs covering his face. He was trembling. This could only mean that he's angry or sad. She **hated** seeing him like this. That was why she made a pledge to him._

"_Don't worry, Sasuke-kun… I promise that I'll return here again… someday for sure…" _

_He finally looked up and took notice of her. His mood suddenly changed when he saw her smiling. At last, he answered her._

"_Promise?"_

"_I promise… Sasuke-kun… with all my heart…" she replied as she raised her pinky up and made a pinky promise with her playmate… her sole best friend… her **crush**… Uchiha Sasuke._

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**Home Sweet Home**

**Chapter 1: A Blast from the Past**

by Celestartial Blossoms

Today was Sunday. The early morning was greeted with rainfall. The streets were half abandoned. The rest of the people must be inside their cozy homes enjoying the warmth their places provided.

In another part of Konoha, the raindrops fell and joined the rhythm of the song played by a sixteen year old raven haired boy.

_Come a little closer  
Flicker in flight  
we'll have about an inch space  
But I'm here I can breathe in  
what you breathe out_

He was currently in bed, not asleep but thinking… and reminiscing. He placed both of his hands at the back of his head, his obsidian eyes looking in the ceiling.

_Let me know if I'm doing this right_

_Let me know if my grip's too tight_

_Let me know if I can stay all of my life_

_Let me know if dreams can come true_

_Let me know if this one's yours too_

'_Cause I see it_

_And I feel it_

_Right here_

_And I feel you right here_

All of a sudden, a single memory caught his attention. A familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"_Sasuke, I have to tell you s-something."_

"_Uhmm… you see, my Dad and me are m-moving away from here… in Konoha."_

"_Don't worry, Sasuke-kun… I promise that I'll return here again… someday for sure…"_

"_I promise… Sasuke-kun… with all my heart…"_

After nine years, he still remembered _**her**… her_voice… the voice of the only girl he liked as a kid… the first girl who made a pledge to her… **_Sakura_**… Since he woke up this morning, all he could think of was her. It was strange because he already experienced this a long time ago. Now, it was happening again.

_The vacuous night_

_Steps aside to give meaning_

_To Gemini's dreaming_

_The moon on it's back_

_And the seemingly_

_Veiled room's lit_

_By the same star_

'_What could this mean? Is she coming back here? … I wonder how much she had changed.'_ he pondered still staring in the ceiling. "I wonder…"

_Let me know if I'm doing this right_

_Let me know if my grip's too tight_

_Let me know if I can stay all of my life_

_Let me know if dreams can come true_

_Let me know if this one's yours too_

'_Cause I see it_

_And I feel it_

_Right here_

_And I feel you right here_

_And I feel it right here_

_And I feel you right here_

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In a hotel…

"Dad, why are we here again?" asked a pink haired girl looking straight to her Dad, flashing a bored look on her face. She was currently wearing a cap to conceal her hair.

"I told you countless of times already. We're here because you'll be studying here again in Konoha just like before when you were young. I need to leave you here for a business trip. But, I will not leave you alone. I will entrust you to a close friend of ours. We'll be seeing them later. Understood?"

"Hai…" she said casting a sad look this time.

"Don't be sad, Sakura. I'm sure you'll like their place. Besides, they have a son with the same age as yours. You'll definitely get along with him… especially because you know him already." Sakura's dad said smiling at the same time patting her daughter's head.

"I'm sure you miss this place already so I suggest that you take a walk first and begin exploring this city once again while I attend some of my appointments. Be sure you'll go there at 2:30. I already gave you the address. Just follow it and you'll be fine. We'll see each other there. Okay?"

"Okay, Dad. I better follow your advice rather than seating here and doing nothing. Bye, Dad." she replied before kissing his cheeks as a sign of respect.

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Meanwhile…

"Mom, I'm going out for a while. Is it okay with you?" asked Sasuke while going down the stairs heading towards his mother.

'_I feel like going to that old cherry blossom tree… my favorite spot. I mean **our** favorite spot…'_

"It's okay with me as long as you return here before two o'clock. We have some visitors arriving later." replied his mother not taking her eyes of whatever she's cooking.

"Who are they, Mom?"

"It's a surprise. You'll know them later." She smiled brightly while eyeing her son's reaction. As she had guessed, her son's face showed curiosity and interest.

'_Who could they be?… I wonder…'_ he thought.

"Mom, I'm going now."

"Okay. Take care." After that, she resumed her cooking. She heard the sound of the door which signaled that her son left already.

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The park is one of the most beautiful places in Konoha. It has a large fountain where you'll spot some couples sitting there in the edge enjoying their time. Lots of trees and varieties of flowers are also visible. All together, the park is a perfect place for relaxation. This might be the reason why Sakura was there, walking under the shade of the gigantic trees.

'_Hmm… where should I go now?… I'm here in the park where I usually go to as a kid…I already went to the ice cream parlor… the mall? I guess I'll just go there later. I'm still not in the mood… where to go?' _

She was reflecting these as a single petal interrupted her train of thoughts. She caught it in her palm and realized that what she's holding was a Sakura petal… fragile and delicate… just like **_her_**… A childhood memory began to resurface in her mind.

_**FLASHBACK**_

'_Oh no, I'm late… I'm sure Sasuke-kun is already waiting for me…' a seven year old pink-haired girl thought at the same time running towards their usual meeting place. She was going to meet her playmate… her closest friend… her crush… Uchiha Sasuke. _

_Today was the day when she has to say goodbye to him. They were moving away… away from Konoha… away from him. They had to leave because of her Dad's work. Her Dad needed to go in some place and since her mother died already, he has to take her. No father wanted to leave behind his child without someone who'll look after her._

_Sakura was near the place now. She could now see the full blooming cherry blossom tree located in their favorite spot. Just a little more step and she's already there… As expected her friend was there, waiting for her. She saw him standing under the shade of the tree. She couldn't help but smile at his sight._

"_S-sorry I'm late, Sasuke-kun!" she said as she was already in front of him panting and trying to catch her breath._

"_Aa" he replied. _

"_You're forgiven." He took her hand and led her to the swing where they always sit at._

_**End Flashback**_

'_Yeah… I remember now. That was the day when I said my goodbye to **him**… Hmm, I wonder how he looks now. Back then, I remember that he was sooo cute. How 'bout now? I wonder… That's right, I'll go next to our favorite meeting place as a kid… If I'm lucky, I may see him there.' _

She smiled as she exited the park and began her walk towards that place.

'_Hopefully, it is still there.' _she thought.

It's not that far so she'll get there in fifteen minutes of walking.

After fifteen minutes, Sakura finally arrived.

'_Good thing, it is still here… my favorite spot… **our** favorite spot…' _

She sat at the grass, under its shade, and closed her jade eyes. Lucky for her, the tree which also served as her namesake, was not a crowded place. If not, maybe she'll not have some peace there.

She began reminiscing her past. All her childhood memories were coming back to her. Some were clearer than the rest. Once again, her mind was hunted with only one person… **_him_**… Too bad though, the **_one_** she's thinking of left a few seconds before she got there.

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In the moment…

Sasuke was now walking towards the mall after he went to his favorite spot. He needed to buy something. He wore a cap to hide his identity. He's not a celebrity but he was an Uchiha and that made him so popular with the girls of all ages. As expected, he has his own fan club. All the girls who were members of his club were so annoying and irritating. Even if he shouted at them to be gone… even if his attitudes towards them were bad and rude… they were just going to giggle and smile like fools because they always thought that he was so handsome and more charming that way.

He now arrived at the mall. Wasting no time, he went to the store to buy his needed supplies. After buying those things, he immediately proceed to go back home. Unfortunately, before he even stepped out of the mall, a fan girl recognized him and shouted "HEY, THAT'S UCHIHA SASUKE! HAVE ME AS YOUR DATE!"

Soon, his other fan girls joined in and raced after him. He was now running for his life. He could here all their screams.

"SASUKE-SAMA, BE MY BOYFRIEND!"

"NO! PICK ME! PICK ME!"

"MARRY ME, SASUKE-SAMA!"

"DATE ME, SASUKE-SAMA!"

"DON'T LISTEN TO THEM, SASUKE-SAMA! I'M THE GIRL FOR YOU."

He was now out of the mall still running for his life. All his fan girls were behind him, racing after him. He needed to lose track of them. But, how?… Uh-oh, he's going to collide to a girl with a cap who seems not paying attention to what's in front of her.

"Huh?" he heard her say in a shocked way before…

BUMP

They both collided with each other and were now on the ground. Jade met onyx.

"Oww, that hurts!" Sakura said wincing in pain. "Watch where you're going!"

Hearing this, Sasuke was taken aback and got infuriated. Who wouldn't be if you've been accused of something that you didn't even do?

"Me! You're the one who's not WATCHING where you are going!… There's no use talking to you."

After saying that, he immediately got up not bothering to help her out and continued running away from his crazy fan girls.

"The nerve of that guy! Grrr… Wait, what is this I'm hearing…" she quickly turned her head at her side and found countless of girls running towards her.

'_Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…'_ Poor Sakura, she got run over by a stampede caused by some crazy fan girls. Tsk. Tsk.

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At exactly 2:30 in the afternoon…

'_Sigh! Thank goodness I already lost my fan girls and just in time to go home… one more left turn and I'm there.' _a very tired raven-haired boy said.

"Owwww! My whole body hurts sooo bad." a very injured pink haired girl said.

'_At least, I'm only a right turn away from the house of my Dad's friend.'_

Because Lady Fate was so good to them, the moment they both made their turns, they quickly saw each other. Both had appalling expressions on their faces… so shocked that only one word escaped their mouths.

"YOU!"

"What are you doing here, jerk!" Sakura inquired.

"Me! How 'bout you? For your information, I live at this house. This house is ours." Sasuke said in a matter of factly voice.

"What! But this was my dad's friend's house… Don't tell me…" Realizations dawned upon them that was why they both said at the same time…

"You're the visitor my mother was talking about?"

"You're the guy my father was talking about?"

Because of their loud voices, their brawl didn't go unnoticed by their parents. Both of their parents came out from the now opened door of the Uchiha house looking angry.

"Sasuke!"

"Sakura!"

Both the teens looked at their respective parent for a second and focused all their attention to each other. Both had the same thought running in their heads…

'_You're Sakura?'_

'_You're Sasuke?'_

**To be continued…**

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Author's Note: **This chapter is finally finished. So, what do you think about it? Is it good? Bad? Needs improvement? Come on, tell me… Please submit a review so that I'll know what I did wrong and not repeat the same mistakes again. I'll gladly welcome and appreciate them. Thank you!

Before I forget, this chapter includes the lyrics of a song. It is found in the beginning of this chapter. It is entitled as "Gemini" by Spongecola, a Filipino band. That song is one of my favorites.

Next chapter's title will be…

**Shocking Revelations and Wrong Impressions**


	2. Shocking Revelation and Wrong Impression

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Besides, if I own Naruto, then, I'll make Sasuke treat Sakura better.

**Summary: **They were childhood lovers separated by inevitable decision. After nine years, Fate brought them together again but got the wrong first impressions from each other. What's more is that they have to live in only one house… ALONE. Will love bloom again? Or is it the other way around?… In the end, will they ever say HOME SWEET HOME? Find out!

**Pairings:** mainlySasukeSakura… others include NarutoHinata, ShikamaruIno, and NejiTenten

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**Recap of the Previous Chapter**

"Don't be sad, Sakura. I'm sure you'll like their place. Besides, they have a son with the same age as yours. You'll definitely get along with him… especially because you know him already."

"Mom, I'm going out for a while. Is it okay with you?"

"It's okay with me as long as you return here before two o'clock. We have some visitors arriving later."

He was now out of the mall still running for his life. All his fan girls were behind him, racing after him. He needed to lose track of them. But, how?… Uh-oh, he's going to collide to a girl with a cap who seems not paying attention to what's in front of her.

BUMP

They both collided with each other and were now on the ground. Jade met onyx.

"Oww, that hurts!"

"Watch where you're going!"

"Me! You're the one who's not WATCHING where you are going!… There's no use talking to you."

"What are you doing here, jerk!"

"Me! How 'bout you? For your information, I live at this house. This house is ours."

"What! But this was my dad's friend's house… Don't tell me…"

'_You're Sakura?'_

'_You're Sasuke?'_

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_A six year old raven-haired boy attended Konoha University, one of the most prestigious schools in Konoha. Specifically, this school was famous for its high quality education, modern technologies, gigantic gyms and courts, etc. However, all of these things didn't catch his interest. Actually, nothing did. Even his own admirers and fan girls didn't seem to attract his attention. Until one day, a new girl arrived. _

_At first, he didn't seem to recognize that there was a new transferee student. Maybe, it was because he didn't care about what's going on around him. The moment his teacher spoke and asked the girl to introduce herself before the class, that's the time when he finally noticed **her**. _

_She had a long pink hair tied into two pigtails. She had a pair of dazzling emerald eyes that showed shyness at the same time… solitude._

"_Uhmm, hello… I'm Haruno Sa-Sakura. But you can call me Sakura." she said and cast a bashful smile that caught the attention of every boy in their class… even the young Uchiha's._

_At that point in his life, he had the **desire** to get to know her more. There were so many things about her that interested **him**. One was the fact that even though she had a not-so-average forehead, she still looked cute. Another was the sweetness of her voice that seemed like music to his ears. But what really intrigued him was the loneliness he could see in **her eyes**. What could be its cause was what he really wanted to know._

_Months passed by and he was successful. He finally knew many things about her especially the reason for her solitude. He had heard from his teachers that her mother was suffering from an incurable disease. Everyday, she would visit her mother at the hospital together with her father, giving her flowers and encouragements to hold on. They would take care of her. This turned out to be another reason why she wanted to become a **nurse** someday – caring for a diseased individual just like what she's currently doing to her mother._

_The young Uchiha discovered these facts by not directly asking the girl about them. He just got them from eavesdropping and spying. He couldn't ask her directly because he still couldn't open up to a girl or even talk to her. He couldn't even say a simple "hi" and "hello" to her. He wasn't acquainted with this thing. He wasn't even sociable in the first place. He still needed to learn a thing or two on this field. He needed a chance… But, he had all the chances he could wish for and yet, he didn't go for them… _

_Until one day…_

_It all happened when Sasuke decided to approach Sakura and talk to her… to **comfort** her. It was because he noticed that she was getting more forlorn these days. He wanted to know the reason for her current change of mood. But Lady Fate wasn't kind to him at that time. Before he had the chance to talk to her, she was immediately sent to the Principal's Office. She didn't return back to their classroom right after that. _

'_What happened to her?' he thought. _

_Their class was finally over, still there's no sign of Sakura. Giving up, he decided to go home. There's always tomorrow, right?_

_As he was walking, he overheard two teachers talking inside the café which was near his house. At first, he decided to ignore them. However…_

"… _Yeah. By the way, have you heard what happened to Haruno Sakura's mother? Do you know her?" said the lady with brunette hair and purple eyes._

"_Haruno Sakura… Oh, the girl with the pink hair! Why? What happened to her mother?" said the other lady sitting across her._

_Those words made him stop his tracks and listen to them._

"_Well, you see, her father went to the school earlier to tell the child a bad news. He told her that her mother was already dead. She died because of a heart attack. After hearing those words, she got confused. Her father, then, made her realize what those meant… that they'll never see her again. She threw a tantrum and cried after that. They can't do anything to stop her from crying. Afterwards, she ran out of the office of the principal. Her father ran after her."_

"_Did her father catch her?"_

"_I don't think so. The child is good in hiding, you know… I really feel sorry for her. She's just a child."_

"_Yeah, me too… Where could she be? I hope they found her already…"_

_Sasuke couldn't believe what he heard. He was taken aback. It took him a minute before realizing that he must do something. He needed to find **her**. She needed a friend. She didn't have any real friends yet… She needed **him**._

_He thought of possible places where she usually goes to. All of them were out of the list. She wouldn't go to those places in her present state. Right now, she needed a place where she could think things over, a silent place… a place where she could mourn freely. If he was in her place, he'll go to his favorite spot where the huge cherry blossom tree was located._

'_Would she go there?' he thought. _

"_Might as well try it." and that's exactly where he's going._

_He immediately went there hoping that he'll see her. _

_Because he's legs were still short, it took him more than fifteen minutes to get there. Scrutinizing the place, he found no one in sight. He was ready to leave the place and continue searching when he heard stifle cries coming from behind the tree. He decided to check who's in there. His heart beat faster as soon as he's getting nearer… Then, he saw her._

_Her legs were near her chest. Her head was placed on her crossed arms which were positioned on top of her knees. Her back was leaning against the trunk of the tree which also served as her namesake. Her whole body was quivering from sobbing._

_He walked in front of her and offered his handkerchief._

"_Here. Use this." he said thoughtfully while blushing a little._

_Sakura looked up and was slightly taken aback because she didn't notice him coming. Nonetheless, she got his handkerchief and began to wipe her tears. After that, she got up and gave it back to him. He noticed that her eyes were really puffy._

"_Th-thank you." she muttered._

"_You're welcome… you know what… you don't have to be sad for what happened to your mother. She's in heaven right now watching you. She's in there." he said pointing up at the ethereal sky. _

"_She's happy up there. You should be happy too. Okay?" he continued._

_After saying that, she began to cry again. He felt guilty. He hated seeing a girl cry… especially **her**. He didn't know how to comfort her. But still, he did what he thought was the right thing to do. He embraced her._

"_Please, don't cry… I-I'm here for you." _

_These simple words really touched her heart. She hugged him back. He decided that he would let her be. If she wanted to cry, it's okay with him. He'll be there anyway to wipe her tears and to comfort her._

_After a few moments, he became aware that her sobs were getting lesser. She withdrew herself from his body and looked at him in the eye. Their eyes met. Then, she smiled for the first time this day solely for him to see._

"_Thank you. I'm done crying now. By the way, I'm Sakura."_

"_I know who you are. We've been in the class together for the last couple of months."_

"_Oh, yeah! I forgot." she cast a sorry smile to him._

"_It's okay. I'm Sasuke."_

"_Friends?" she said while grinning as she offered him her right hand._

"_Friends." he enthusiastically took it._

_And, this was the start of a very wonderful friendship of a raven-haired boy and a pink-haired girl. This also marked the start of a very special kind of relationship… love._

_

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**Home Sweet Home**

**Chapter 2: Shocking Revelations and Wrong Impressions**

by Celestartial Blossoms

**

* * *

**

"Sasuke, what's all this commotion about?" Uchiha Mikoto said crossing her arms.

"Sakura, I'm also going to ask you that question?" Mr. Haruno said while walking towards her daughter.

After their parents asked that question, they immediately broke their eye contact. They now focused their attentions to them. Yet, they were still too dazed to answer their questions. They just looked at them.

Giving up, the adults decided that it was better to forget what happened and go inside the Uchiha abode. They went inside and headed to the right where they entered the living room to have their **talk**.

Sakura removed her cap. She and her dad sat at an azure couch located near the window while Sasuke and her mom sat across them. There was a moment of silence but Mikoto broke it by saying…

"So, you're Sakura. It has been a long time since we last met you. You were like seven year old at that time. Now, look at you! You're so grown up." she said looking straight to the pink–haired girl. She was smiling at the teen.

Sakura blushed at that compliment… and **that **didn't go unnoticed to the young Uchiha.

'_She still looks cute just by doing that… wait a minute… what am I thinking… She's **not **cute… She's a **different** person now… like a stranger I just met… Up to now, I still can't believe that she's the girl I promised to protect.'_

"Anyway, let's now talk about the more **important** matters." Mikoto said with a little seriousness evident in her voice. Sasuke paid close attention to what **these** matters were.

"Ah, yes." said Mr. Haruno turning his focus to his daughter.

"Like I said Sakura, you'll be staying here for a while… I'll be going on another business trip and I can't leave you alone. That's why I decided to bring you here again in Konoha and asked the Uchihas to look after you while I'm gone."

"That's why Sasuke, you need to behave well. Sakura will be staying here from now on." Mikoto scolded her son. Sasuke just gave a 'hmmph' while crossing his arms.

He couldn't help but think about **her**… how much she changed both physically and emotionally… He couldn't ignore the fact that she changed into a beautiful young lady. At sixteen, she's gorgeous enough that any man would fall head over heels in love with her.

Does he?

'_Nah.'_

He quickly erased that thought away. He couldn't possibly love or even like her now. She changed and her attitude was… awful. He hated to admit it but it was true. She's so sensitive and naïve. That's why what she said a while ago really **pissed** him off.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_Oww, that hurts!" Sakura said wincing in pain. "Watch where you're going!"_

_Hearing this, Sasuke was taken aback and got infuriated. Who wouldn't be if you've been accused of something that you didn't even do? _

"_Me! You're the one who's not WATCHING where you are going!… There's no use talking to you." _

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

For the first time in his life, he was **blamed**. Nobody dared to blame him… well except for his brother… but still.

Actually, the real reason why he got infuriated a while ago was because he didn't expect a **girl** to shout at her. Usually, every girl in town, no matter what age, would blush and treat him like a royalty. What happened was exactly the opposite. It was really surprising.

One of the things he hated the most was being shouted at most especially if that person was a girl. It really **hurt** his pride. It was expected that he would care a lot about **that** trivial thing. He's an Uchiha after all.

Sakura, at the moment, was also reminiscing what happened earlier. She, too, was lost in thought just by thinking about him. She, too, couldn't believe that he's the boy who promised him protection against all sorts of things… the boy who made her pledge that she'll return someday. How much he had changed both physically and emotionally!

Just like him, she thought that he had grown pretty well. He's more handsome now. There's no doubt about it. At sixteen, he had a very well built body that added up to his masculine aura. Maybe those were the reason why he **obviously** had a fan club and multitudes of fan girls.

However, even though she hated to admit it, his attitudes were appalling. His onyx eyes were now emotionless. He was now rude, and vulgar. He didn't even help her stand up after what happened a while ago. Most of all, he didn't even **apologize** to her. All in all, he was a jerk. How he made her angry!

Both the teens were sent out of their reverie when Mikoto spoke up.

"Since Sakura will be staying here from now on, I suggest that my son, here, will tour her around the house right now. Won't you, Sasuke?" she remarked while giving her son the say-yes-or-else-you-will-not-be-eating-any-tomatoes-for-a-month look.

Whenever Mikoto did that, her son couldn't refuse anything she told or even ordered him. As expected he unwillingly stood up, scowled to death, and said…

"Come on, I don't have enough time for this **Forehead-girl**." He really emphasized the last word which made Sakura twitch in anger.

"Okay already! I'm coming." she answered while marching outside the living room.

Both their parents were left, smiling.

"Look at them. They are really enjoying each other's company. I never thought that they would easily adjust with each other." she smiled totally happy about the situation.

"You're right, Mikoto."

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Meanwhile…

Sasuke was walking ahead of Sakura towards the kitchen which was located at the left side of the house.

Sakura, feeling pissed off about what that **jerk **called her, stopped her tracks and said…

"Why'd you call me Forehead-girl, **Chicken hair**?"

"Because your forehead is large." he replied arrogantly not bothering to look at her or even wait for her.

"Why you!" She really was peeved off right now. She gritted her teeth and glared at his back. How she wish that glares could kill because if they could, he would be killed right now.

"Stop glaring at me. You're annoying me."

She was going to say another bunch of incoherent words but he beat her into it. He cut her words by saying…

"We're here. This is the kitchen. This is where we cook our foods and wash the dishes."

"Obviously." she remarked while crossing her arms. "I'm not a five year old kid you know."

He reacted as if he didn't hear her say that and continued his so-called tour.

Even though she wasn't in a good mood right now, she couldn't help but stare in awe at how spic-and-span the kitchen was. The whole room was painted pallid and white. Everything was in its right place. The floor was shiny. Even the stove was clean. All of them were unblemished and immaculate.

'_It must be the doing of Mrs. Uchiha… Sasuke couldn't possibly be this clean. Is he? ' _she thought.

"Right there is the dining room. That's where we eat… The door over there leads to the bathroom. We have two bathrooms. The other one is upstairs." he continued.

As the time passed, her mood was changing. She's not mad anymore. Actually, she's enjoying the tour. It would really be a bliss to live in this house. Everything was perfect and cozy unlike **her** tour guide right now.

After the tour downstairs, it was now the time to go upstairs and continue the tour.

As they were walking upstairs, she noticed that the stairs were made of good quality of wood and were varnished nicely.

When they reached the top, she was greeted with a portrait of the famous Uchiha Fan hanging on the wall. Then, she saw five rooms – two of which was located at their right side while the others were at the left side.

They first went to the first room situated at the right. Sasuke said that it was the room of his brother, Itachi. The next one was the first room at the left.

"This is my room and it is off limits especially to **you**." he said while walking towards the next room still at the left. He said that it was the bathroom.

"The last room at the right is my parents' while the room across them was the guest room. You'll be staying there."

"I see…"

Right after that, they went down the stairs to meet their parents. They immediately went to the living room. They caught them talking at the same time laughing with each other. Sensing their presence, the adults looked to them smiling.

"I see that the tour was over. So, how was it Sakura-chan?" Mikoto remarked.

"… It was fine, I guess." the pink-haired girl replied.

"Oh my, it is already four o'clock in the afternoon. I have to leave now for my flight." Mr. Haruno said looking at her daughter.

"Can't you stay longer, Dad?" Sakura replied with sadness evident in her voice.

"No, dear. I have to go now. I'm sorry." He hugged her tightly.

"I understand, Dad."

Mr. Haruno released her daughter from his hug and said…

"Take care now. I'll always call you to see how you're doing. Be a good girl, okay?"

"Yes, Dad." He leaned and kissed the forehead of his only child.

"Please take care of her Mikoto." he said looking at her.

"I will. Don't worry." She assured him.

"And also, please say my greetings to your husband."

"I will."

Right after that, Sakura walked his Dad towards the gate while Mikoto and her son watched them from the door. After some time, he left and everybody went inside.

As soon as they were inside the house, the phone rang. Mikoto answered it. The two teens went straight to the living room and left her behind. She returned after a few minutes with an apologetic expression on her beautiful face.

"Is there something wrong, Mom?" the raven–haired boy inquired with a worried expression.

"Well, sort of." she replied while sitting down on the couch.

"You see, your father wants me to go to America right now and help him with something. He said that it was important so, I have to leave right now… I have to leave you two here… **alone**." she said while looking at their expressions.

Both the teens were shocked at that sudden news. Their jaws dropped and their eyes were wide like saucers. Then, there was a moment of silence until…

"**WHAT!**" They both yelled so loud that Mikoto had to cover her ears.

'_I'm going to stay here with Sasuke… **alone**! My golly! And I even thought that living here will be bliss. But now, it looks like it will be hell.'_

'_I'm going to live here with Sakura… **alone**! Is my Mom kidding me? It's too bad enough that she'll stay here and now, we'll be left alone!'_

Their inner selves were now crying. Both had the same thoughts filling their heads.

'_**What a cruel world I have.'**_

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After a long discussion with Mikoto about her departure, both the teens were still sulking. They were at that condition even after she left. They ate the dinner that she made for all of them in silence. They were not talking to each other even a single thing. They acted like they were totally alone in the house.

They both finished their meals at the same time and didn't bother to clean up the dishes. They would do that tomorrow. They went upstairs right after that, changed into their pajamas, and did their evening rituals like brushing their teeth, etc.

It was now eight in the evening. Both of them were inside their respective rooms already lying in bed. They were both staring at the ceiling pondering on some things. Actually, they couldn't sleep. They were still too astonished at the sudden changes of events. What will they do now? How will they treat each other when in fact, they couldn't even stand each other's presence? What does tomorrow hold for them? What will happen to them at school?

There were so many questions haunting their minds. There were so many doubts still bothering them. Especially, there were so many thoughts plaguing their intellects. However, in spite of all of these things, there was just one feeling they had been experiencing at the moment and that was…

**Hope**.

Yes. They were truly going through that emotion -- Hope.

Hope for wonderful days to come. Hope for a new understanding. Hope for a renewed friendship… most especially… Hope for an unforgettable feeling of **LOVE**.

**To be continued**…

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**Author's Note**: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this fanfic for the past two weeks. I really got busy with my school works that I hadn't had the time to work on it. I'm really sorry! --

Anyway, what do you think of this chapter? Is it good? Please tell me and make a review! I'll gladly appreciate them. Thank you!

By the way, I just wanna say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of those readers who made a review for my last chapter. They were…

**HAHACheeeziTz, Dark Angel, Rel, ****iluvsasukeandrobin****tianne-chan****neon kun****Saki-16****Miyuki Tsukada****, BL, ****Sessome Yamato****Momiro-chan****Gensomaden-Saiyuki****sasukerocks****, mini-chibi-gaara-chan, ****hanyo-girl****, lexy499, ****Sanzo Lover****white-rosekiss****Softwavesmaysplash****Blacksash**

**mar25n** – Thank you so much for your review. You're my thirtieth reviewer!… I truly support SasuSaku pairings just like you. I'm so glad that you liked my fic… I'm looking forward for your reviews.

**Autumn Fortress**– I'm so glad that you liked the plot. And, thank you so much for your review. It really helped me. Thanks also for saying that my vocabulary was excellent.

**blazingheat99** – Thank you for pointing out my mistakes … Sorry if I placed lots of dialogues for my first chapter. I really can't help it. Gomen! -- … By the way, I really had to make Sasuke and Sakura meet for the first chapter because that's really the start of the whole plot.

**sentimentaljuvenile** – Thank you for making a review, Kaye-chan! I'm really glad that you liked my fanfic… Naniniwala talaga ako na may "KILIG" factor sina Sasuke and Sakura, right?

**moonlight** – Thank you for reading my first chapter though, I really have to admit that it was long. Nonetheless, thanks for having the patience to read it.

**Nekio-chan** - I also wanted, at first, to prolong the wait for Sasuke and Sakura to meet. However, I figured out that it was better if they meet in the first chapter 'cause that will mark the beginning of their story… Thanks for reviewing.

**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me** – Yup, I'm a Filipino too. I'm so glad you made a review for my first chapter… By the way, I really LOVE your story -- Konoha High.

**SophisticatedAlexir** – Thank you for reviewing, Lyza – chan.

**krista** – I'm really surprised at your review for my first chapter. Whenever I'm reminiscing it, I really have to smile… Thank you for reviewing. Don't do bad stuffs to me, okay? I updated before the three weeks you gave me.

**Maiden of the Dark Light** – Thank you so much for your review and also for pointing out my mistakes. It really helped me… As much as possible, I am really trying to avoid those redundant phrases.

**Mistress Malfoy** – I'm so glad that you liked it. About the dots, I'm so sorry for that. I really can't help it sometimes. Thanks for reviewing and by the way, I really like your penname.

**luvKaWaIi**– Thanks for reviewing… I don't have a myspace. Sorry! --

**kawaii.athcag** – Of course. Sakura will definitely be pretty in this fic.

… Thank you also for those readers who added this fanfic to their favorite lists and the c2 Communities.

…Please stay tuned to the next chapter of Home Sweet Home. It is entitled as…

**Too Many First Times**


	3. Too Many First Times

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for this **super late** update. It's been like a month since my last. Sumimasen! -- It's just that I really got busy over the holidays and was too preoccupied with my studies. I also had a case of writer's block… **I'm really sorry**… Anyway, here's Chapter 3 of Home Sweet Home. I really made that long and with fluffs for all of you. So, enjoy! Please don't forget to leave a review. Thank you!

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Besides, if I own Naruto, then, I'll make Sasuke treat Sakura better.

**Summary: **They were childhood lovers separated by inevitable decision. After nine years, Fate brought them together again but got the wrong first impressions from each other. What's more is that they have to live in only one house… ALONE. Will love bloom again? Or is it the other way around?… In the end, will they ever say HOME SWEET HOME? Find out!

**Pairings:** mainlySasukeSakura… others include NarutoHinata, ShikamaruIno, and NejiTenten

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**Recap of the Previous Chapter**

"You see, your father wants me to go to America right now and help him with something. He said that it was important so, I have to leave right now… I have to leave you two here… **alone**." she said while looking at their expressions.

"**WHAT!**" They both yelled so loud that Mikoto had to cover her ears.

'_I'm going to stay here with Sasuke… **alone**! My golly! And I even thought that living here will be bliss. But now, it looks like it will be hell.'_

'_I'm going to live here with Sakura… **alone**! Is my Mom kidding me? It's too bad enough that she'll stay here and now, we'll be left alone!'_

Their inner selves were now crying. Both had the same thoughts filling their heads.

'_**What a cruel world I have.'**_

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' normal thinking'

'**Inner selves in action'**

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_Since the day the young Uchiha made his first step and offered his handkerchief to his grieving pink-haired classmate, they instantly became connected to each other. They couldn't be separated anymore. They were no longer strangers who were once satisfied of just knowing each other's names, without even bothering to play or talk to each other. They were now best of friends… even** closer** than the rest._

_An evidence that they were now having an intimate friendship with each other was the verity that they always walk to school together. It seems that the young raven-haired boy was always waiting for his friend at his favorite spot, then, would walk to school together. He started doing this when he learned that she passes this place before going to their school. He was at first surprised when he did this austere act of **friendliness** towards her. The reason why he did this was unknown to him. But, it turned out that he was just denying it. He was actually forlorn and alone despite of all of his "admirers". He was in great need for a friend just like her… and a friend they found in each other's being… This simple act of his was his way of expressing his gratitude towards her… and since that day on, they felt that they're no longer alone…_

_The young Uchiha was walked earnestly towards the park. Since, he was early, he decided to slow down his pace and enjoy the wonderful feeling his surroundings was giving him. He enjoyed every moments of his walk starting from the refreshing air that was currently brushing his hair, the euphonious music from the humming birds, the swaying of the branches of the trees in attuned to the wind, and lastly the Sakura petals dancing in the breeze._

_He could now see the full blooming Cherry Blossom tree up ahead and wait… there's a girl! Her one hand was currently clutching the strap of her backpack and her free hand was waving enthusiastically towards him. It seems that she was grinning and emitting a very cheery demeanor than usual on a closer examination. But she was no ordinary girl… glistening pink hair, cheerful persona, and emerald orbs. These traits belong to only one girl… _

"_Sakura…?" he mumbled softly._

_When he realized that she was in fact Sakura, he was surprised to find her earlier than him. It was because he always arrived there first and was always doing the waiting. This was the first time that she beat him into it. Nevertheless, he was glad and smiled inwardly. At that moment, he quickened his pace towards her._

_Seeing that her friend was coming closer, she dropped her hands to her side and greeted him._

"_Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" she chirped, at the same time, flashing one of her brilliant smiles._

"_Hn." he replied while smirking at her. _

"_So, why are you early?" he asked out of curiosity. His eyebrows raised in a questioning way._

_He, then, looked at her and noticed that there's something different about her today. He couldn't quite figure what it was. All he was sure was that it wasn't her hair being styled in a braid that's peculiar. Definitely not because he had seen her like that a myriad of times. So what was it then?_

'_Hmm…' he thought but was disrupted when she said her riposte._

"_No reason." she giggled while looking at him. "Let's go."_

_At that, he finally realized what's different about her today. She was **very** cheerful today and very **hyper** too. It's not that she wasn't cheery at all. In fact, she's hyper everyday. But, today, her cheeriness was too much._

_Because he was very interested as to what was the reason for this, he decided to question her about it._

"_You seem so happy today, Sakura. May I know why?" he inquired while glancing at her direction. _

_He, then, noticed that she was a bit taken aback with the question and blushed instead. After that, she kept on twiddling with her fingers and bowed her head in embarrassment. She was debating with her inner self if she should tell him about her **encounter** with Aki, her current crush at the moment._

'_Should I tell him about that?'_

'_**I don't see any reason why you wouldn't. Why are you even hesitating?'**_

'… _I don't know… I'm a little bit embarrassed.' she trailed off._

'_**Why would you? Besides, he's your best friend, right? He ought to know that.'**_

'_Yeah… you're right.' With that said, she blushed again and fiddled with her fingers some more before she began speaking._

"_Uhmm… you see… I left our house early today and began running towards here. When, I'm almost there, I suddenly tripped and hurt my knee…" she said while unconsciously touching her slightly injured knee._

_Sasuke saw that and looked at her with worried expression. "Are you okay now? … Why didn't you tell me about it earlier? Do you want me to give you a piggyback ride?"_

"_N-no. I'm okay now, Sasuke-kun. Thanks anyway. Besides…" she blushed again and continued her explanation. _

"…_Aki-kun helped me… that's why I'm so happy today." she smiled and was now blushing madly. _

_He frowned and looked down after hearing that. Then, he clenched his hands unconsciously and grew furious for some unknown reasons. This feeling was no doubt new to him. He never felt so enraged before. Besides, shouldn't he be happy and thankful that someone was there to help his best friend? Why would he be angry at him? Was it because he wasn't there to help her? Was it also because she had a crush on Aki for a long time now and that he felt jealous of him?_

_Maybe._

_But, an Uchiha **never** gets jealous. It should be the contrary instead. Kids, like **him**, should be the one envious not him._

_He was so deep in thought now. He kept on clenching and unclenching his hands. He wanted badly to shove those thoughts away but he couldn't. His mind was not following his will until…_

"_Do you think he'll like me too?" she said while looking at him with a hopeful expression visible in her jade eyes._

_He stopped on his tracks. She, too, stopped walking and looked at him, waiting for his reply. _

_That question really caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting her to ask that. Why the hell would she ask that silly question, anyway? Of course, he'll like her. Who wouldn't? She's nice, friendly, lovable, intelligent and cute too. Right?_

'… _That's the reason why I like her…' he thought._

_Sensing the need to reply to her question, he opened his mouth and began talking. But, instead of saying his thoughts and some encouraging words, he told the opposite._

"_No. Why would he like you? I mean… you're annoying, naïve, and very emotional. You always cry for such small things. Besides, you have a large forehead and ugly eyes…" he retorted haughtily while staring at her._

_It was now her turn to be flabbergasted. She didn't expect him to say these things to her because she thought he was different among her other friends who were actually picking on her behind her back. She thought he was nice and understanding. She thought that he would encourage her but he didn't… She thought he was her best friend… She thought that he was **her** Sasuke-kun._

_She only did what she was capable of doing now – to cry. Besides, that was what she's good at, right?_

_Her head hanged low. Her hands were now trembling and clutching the straps of her backpack. Soon, she was sobbing and tears were flowing freely from her eyes. Her hands instantly wiped those tears away but to no avail._

_Seeing this made the young Uchiha feel guilty. There was a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. His hands became cold. Most importantly, his heart ached at the sight. He really hated seeing girls cry, most especially, if that was her. She was very important to him. She was his best friend. But what made him hated himself was the fact that **he** was the one who made her cry._

_Doing the best thing he could and **must** do, he walked towards her and brushed her tears away. He, then, began saying some comforting words to her. But then, she only continued crying even more. She started to hiccup._

"_Hey, don't cry. You know I hate seeing girls cry… It makes me wanna cry too." at that said, he started to shed his own tears, too. He bowed down refusing her to see his tears._

_Sakura was surprised to see him crying. He never cried before. She was the one who was always crying and not him. Besides, her other friends told him that boys don't cry. But she didn't completely believe them for her mother said that everyone cries. Boys also cry. In fact, the sight in front of her was a testimony._

"…_I'm sorry… I di-didn't mean all the things that I s-said earlier… I d-don't even know why I said those things about you… They're all lies, o-okay?" he said while finally looking at her. _

_He saw that she wasn't crying anymore. In fact, a genuine smile was plastered on her cute face right now. She was smiling towards him and he knew that it wasn't because he looked funny or something. Now, it was her turn to brush his tears away. After a few more seconds, she was satisfied with her job and began smiling again. She was now back to her cheerful demeanor._

"_Apology accepted, Sasuke-kun." she said while grinning. "Let's forget all that happened today, okay?"_

_He nodded simply. _

"_Let's go." he said as he took her hand and began gaining his pace. She didn't object. In fact, she was glad that he did this. This was the first time that they walk to their school hand in hand._

"_Sasuke-kun…?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Thanks for apologizing to me… I know that you never did this to anyone that's why I'm so happy and thankful right now…" She smiled inwardly._

_He only replied by tightening his hold on her hand firmly but gently nonetheless._

"… _and also… Sasuke-kun… You really look kawaii when you cried a while ago." she said while grinning at him._

_His cheeks grew hot from that compliment. He blushed and decided to avoid her gaze by looking to his right. An embarrassed frown plastered upon his adorable face._

_She giggled at his reaction and enjoyed every moment of their walk towards their school._

_Who would have thought that walking to school was actually this fun? They should do this everyday. They both thought._

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**Home Sweet Home**

by Celestartial Blossoms

**Chapter 3: Too Many First Times**

**Pitter Patter Pitter**

The whole city of Konoha woke up in a light drizzle. This light rain seemed to wash away those unpleasant matters of yesterday. It also managed to bring freshness and cleanliness to the tainted city. It ensued life to the growing floras leaving them with tiny crystalline raindrops perched upon their leaves. As the moment gradually passed by, the sun was now preparing to peek out in the murky horizon and spread illumination to the entire place. Its rise would definitely signal the end of the sounding rain and the start of a new day…

**Kkkrrrriiiinnnggg**

Sakura woke up at the sound of her alarm clock. She turned to her left side and pressed its button to turn it off. Then, she stood up, wore her slippers and began stretching her arms. Her shirt slightly went up and exposed her flat stomach. After a few more minutes, she decided to go down and prepare **their **breakfast and lunch. She remembered that today was her turn to do the cooking.

More importantly, today was also the day that she was going to study at her former school, Konoha University.

As she made her way towards the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile as the events of last night once again occupied her thoughts.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_It was now eleven in the evening but she still couldn't sleep. She already tried plenty of things that could put her in a deep slumber like singing a lullaby for herself, counting lambs, reading non fictional books that normally put someone to sleep (according to her friend's experience), and the list goes on. The only thing that she could think of was to hit herself on the head or bang herself on the wall. In that way, she could finally have the sleep she wanted. However, those things seem very perilous. It might even give her an amnesia which she didn't like at the moment. Besides, she wouldn't go that far._

_Once again, she tried to close her eyes and hoped that the Sand man would pass her bedroom tonight and sprinkle dusts in her eyes. After a few minutes, she opened them again and sat up on her bed. She became irritated but then decided that a nice walk in the house would do her some good. She got up and wore her slippers. She walked towards her door and opened it quietly to prevent a certain someone from waking up. She strolled down the stairs and walked towards the kitchen to drink some milk. Surprisingly, the kitchen lights were open so she concluded that there's someone there. When she walked there, she didn't see anyone at all._

'_That's weird.' she thought. A slight chill ran down her spine. She was now getting scared._

'_I'm sure we closed all the lights before going up earlier and…' she kept on pondering until her train of thoughts was cut off when she sensed that someone was behind her. _

_She was right. _

_There's **really** someone behind her. _

_She turned around slowly and prepared herself for what she might see. There in the shadow was a silhouette of man who was walking out of his hiding. Her heart was now beating so fast. She shivered and stepped backwards. Then, her eyes fluttered shut until…_

"_What are you doing here?"_

_She recognized that voice. She knew it all too well… that masculine and baritone kind of voice that would send any girl swooning all over him._

_She opened her eyes and regained her composure. There, in front of her, was the one and only… the mighty Uchiha Sasuke, for some that is… but to her, he was just Sasuke._

"… _Y-you scared me you know. Anyway, what are you doing there in the dark?" she asked._

"_I asked you first." he responded monotonously while walking towards the refrigerator. He opened it and took some milk._

"… _I can't sleep that's why I went here." She said while taking a seat on a chair near the kitchen counter._

_He nodded as a response that he understood. He took two glasses and went to her, seating at her side. He filled a glass with milk and handed it to her. She gladly accepted it and mouthed a 'thank you' to him. He also filled his glass with milk and began drinking. She, too, began drinking and emptying her glass._

_After they're both done, no one bothered to make a conversation. Silence overtook them both, each enjoying the peace that there was in silence. They could only hear now the sound of the night crickets and their breaths._

_After a few more moments, Sakura began hating the eerie silence. She decided to spark some conversation with the Uchiha. However, when she was about to speak, he cut her off by saying…_

"_Tomorrow will be your first day of school. Don't tell anyone at school that you're living here most especially the fact that we're living here **alone**, okay?" he said clearly._

_She looked at him with a slightly confused expression. He noticed this so he began explaining her his reasons._

"_I'm just saving you from those girls running lunatic at school." With that said, he stood up and went directly upstairs leaving a more confused Sakura._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

She was really touched by his words although up to now, she was still baffled by them. But she knew that she would understand them soon enough when they get to school. Nevertheless, she smiled because last night was the first time when he was actually good to her. Maybe, he was not an arrogant jerk after all… Just maybe, they would be friends again.

_**What was she thinking? **_

She really took some precious time of hers just by daydreaming. She forgot that she still needed to do something. Right now, she really needs to prepare their meals and get ready to go to school.

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After an hour… 

Sakura had finished cooking their meals and filled their bento box with scrumptious foods. Immediately after that, she went upstairs, headed to her room, and got her towels. She went directly to the bathroom next to her room. Then, she undressed her pajamas and took her shower.

When Sakura was done, she closed the shower and dried herself with a towel. She encircled the towel around her petite body and stepped out of the shower while still drying her hair with another towel.

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Meanwhile…

It was now six thirty and Sasuke really needed to get up now. He doesn't want to be late. He really needed to go to school early because he was always mobbed by his rabid fan girls. The thought of them swooning and drooling all over him made him want to vomit.

He got up languidly, took off his shirt and got a blue towel with the Uchiha symbol. He walked towards his bedroom door while yawning and opened it. Then, he disheveled his hair. He was definitely not a morning person.

He went straight to the next room to his left (which was the bathroom) still refusing to open his eyes. Because his mind wasn't working at the moment, he failed to notice the steam ensued by the shower that was coming out of the door indicating that someone was inside. Thinking that he was living alone in his abode, he still continued to open the door.

The moment he opened the door and walked in, time seemed to slow down and there he saw the greatest shock of his life.

Sakura was there.

The moment he saw her, he began feeling numb and paralyzed. He couldn't move and turn around or even leave the room. He just blushed fervently and gazed at her from head to toe. This was definitely his first time to see an almost naked body of a lady in front of him. This was his first time seeing a girl with only a towel surrounding her body… This was without a doubt his first time in actually **looking** at her right after she got here.

From his observation of her, she definitely blossomed into a beautiful flower over the years. She wasn't skinny anymore. Now, she has perfect curves that go in the right sides of her gorgeous body. She has a flat stomach and slender legs. Her complexion was white, smooth and porcelain. Her hair was glistening because of the water that was dripping down. Her skin, too, was glistening. And then, she has her jade eyes which holds pure innocence and could catch any boy's attention. She also has her long curly eyelashes and the list goes on. All in all, she was a beautiful sight to see… especially in **his** eyes.

_**What was he thinking?**_

He tried so hard to stop gazing at her and leave the stupid bathroom while he wasn't caught yet. But his efforts were in vain. He was glued to the floor, although, that wasn't the worst part yet. The worst was the verity that he **couldn't** stop these perverted thoughts filling his mind right now. And seeing her lean over slightly and expose a little of her cleavage doesn't help either.

'_Damn hormones!'_ he thought.

Sakura finally sensed that someone was looking at her. She scrutinized her surroundings and, at that moment, time seemed to slow down for her. She saw the greatest shock of her life… she saw none other than Uchiha Sasuke **gawking** at her…

"**Aaaahhhhhhhh!**" she screamed at the same time blushing a deep hue of red.

"**What the hell are you doing HERE?**" she shrieked, emphasizing the word here.

He was brought back to reality instantly when she screamed. Then, there was her **question** that brought him speechless and tongue-tied.

"**I SAID WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?**" she repeated. Veins were popping out of her head because her patience was running out. She was tapping her right foot while crossing her arms and bringing it closer to her chest. Then, finally he spoke…

"… W-well, **YOU** were the one who **didn't** lock the bathroom door." he retorted stressing the word didn't.

Seeing that he was in deed correct, she just did what she thought was the right thing to do at the moment… she yelled saying…

"**GET OUT NOW!" **she hissed…and that's exactly what he did.

_

* * *

_

In Sasuke's room…

He was sitting on his bed panting really hard. The tension a while ago was too hard for him to handle. Up to now, he was still sweating and blushing vehemently upon seeing her like that. He knew that he really have to get those thoughts away as soon as possible. He didn't want to end up just like his perverted silver-haired sensei.

'_No way…'_ he thought miserably.

He laid his body on the bed while using his both hands as his pillow. He was staring at the ceiling and her image a while ago flashed again in his mind. Then, he sighed dismissing that picture away. He really needs to take a cold shower now. Luckily, he heard the bathroom door open and close again with a thud. He concluded that she's finally done and he could go in now without some **distractions**.

He took his towel again and opened his door. He inspected the hallway first before stepping out and walked towards the bathroom. He opened it gently and went inside.

_

* * *

_

After few minutes…

Sasuke was now done taking his cold shower and was now clad in his school uniform consisting of black leather shoes and white socks, dark blue pants, white polo shirt (which he didn't tuck in and buttoned properly since the first two buttons weren't buttoned), his tie that held the school's emblem in the center, and lastly his ID which he kept in his pockets. He was holding both his school bag and jacket for the final touch before going downstairs to meet Sakura.

He saw her eating her breakfast in the dinner table irately. She was now clad in her school uniform consisting of a black leather shoes, knee high socks, short dark blue skirt, white blouse, a neck tie which also holds the school's emblem, and lastly, her jacket which holds the school's emblem at the right side. He could see that her face was with a frown. Her eyes held fury in them. And those could only mean one thing… she's still mad at him.

Perceiving that someone was staring at her **again**, she lost her appetite and got up. She glared at him with daggers in her eyes. She walked towards the kitchen bringing her plate, and began washing them. Meanwhile, Sasuke walked over the kitchen, grabbed a plate, sat down and began eating at the same time glancing at her from time to time.

When she was done, she left the kitchen and walked towards the dining room getting her bag. She was about to leave the room when she spoke…

"I'm going to leave now." she said in a still livid voice. Then she walked towards the hallway and straight to the main door definitely leaving him behind. Good thing that she still remembered how to get to her former school.

Sasuke heard the door closed in a thud and could only sigh. He ate his breakfast in a rush for he didn't want to be late for his class. Soon, he too began leaving the Uchiha manor and made sure that it was locked.

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile…

The Cherry Blossom was now at the gate of her former school. She stared at the huge building and sighed. Though she remembered how to get there, she forgot the location of the places inside. Right now, she needed to go to the Principal's office for a short briefing and to get her schedule. Then, she smiled and thanked God that her prayers were answered for she saw a girl with a midnight blue hair who was about to go inside. She walked up to her and caught her attention.

"Y-yes?" the girl asked timidly.

"… Uhmm, Hi! I'm just going to ask for directions… You see, I really need to go to the Principal's office. Could you tell me where it is?" Sakura said in a hesitant voice.

"Of c-course… Y-you must be new h-here. I'm Hinata." she stuttered while offering her hand for a handshake.

Sakura gladly accepted it and smiled. "Thank you… Yes, I'm a new student. I'm Sakura. Nice to meet you."

They went inside the hallways and immediately saw two girls walking up to them. The other one has a long blond hair tied in a ponytail while the other has a brunette hair styled in two buns.

"Hi, girls!" Hinata greeted them while halting.

"Hi, Hinata!" both the girls greeted back.

"Who is she?" the one with a blonde hair asked as she eyed the pink-haired girl.

"Uhmm… this is Sakura. She's just new here and I'm accompanying her to the Principal's office."

"Hi! I'm Sakura." she introduced herself warmly.

"Hi, I'm Tenten and this is Ino." the brunette-haired girl said while smiling.

"Hello, Sakura." Ino greeted back.

"We'll also accompany you there."

Tenten nodded her head as Sakura mouthed a thank you to them both. Together, they walked down the hallway towards the Principal's office.

As they were walking, they passed lots of students who were busily chatting with each other but then stopped their conversation when they saw the new girl. The boys also stopped whatever they're doing and looked at her with hearts in their eyes. Some of them were even whistling, drooling, and saying words such as 'hot', 'gorgeous' and the list goes on.

Tenten whispered to Ino and said "Looks like Sakura here is a boy magnet."

"Yes, you're right." she replied while grinning as she eyed the pink-haired girl who was currently blushing a little.

After some time, they reached the Principal's office and left Sakura there because she insisted that she'll be fine and will not get lost. Actually, she lied but who cares. Anyway, she knocked the door and got in after she heard that she could come in now. She found the principal sitting there and was looking at her directly.

"You must be Sakura." the Principal said as she stood up and gave the girl one of her brilliant smiles.

"Yes, Ma'm." she too smiled.

"By the way, I'm Tsunade. I'm the principal. Let me give you some briefings now…"

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile…

Sasuke finally arrived at the gate of his school. He could now see the faces of his rabid fan girls holding banners, notebooks and ballpens for an autograph, cameras, and… flowers? Well, girls at their school were way different than the rest. Next thing he knew was that he was surrounded by almost half the girl population there. He tried to ignore them and walked coolly towards the building, definitely ignoring their squealing voices and then…

"SASUKE-KUN, BE MY BOYFRIEND!"

"NO! PICK ME! PICK ME!"

"MARRY ME, SASUKE-KUN!"

"HAVE A DATE WITH ME, SASUKE-KUN"

"DON'T LISTEN TO THEM, SASUKE-KUN! I'M THE GIRL FOR YOU."

It's a good thing that he reached his classroom in no time. When he entered the room, he saw a group of boys crowding around a certain part of their room talking with heart-shaped eyes. Some of them were smirking and making bets. He was surprised when he saw his so-called friend, the loud-mouthed boy with a very hyper attitude, amongst the crowd. Then, he went to his seat and sat down. He instantly brought his two hands under his chin (his thinking pose) while ignoring everyone until his so-called friend walked up to him and sat at his desk.

"Hey, Sasuke-teme! Have you heard the rumors?" the hyper boy with cerulean eyes said.

"Why would I be interested with some rumors, dobe?" he replied monotonously.

"Ahh, yeah… I forgot that you're an ice cube teme. Anyway, I'll tell you the rumor because I'm so helpful and the **best**… still the **best**… do I forget to mention that **I'm the best**…" he said haughtily while flashing his trademark smile.

"As if, dobe." he said sarcastically.

"As I was saying Sasuke-teme, we (pointing at the group of boys to his left) were just talking about the new girl on the campus. I never seen her yet but they said that she is really, really, really beautiful. But that's not all, she has a pink hair…" Naruto continued.

Sasuke's ears perked up at the words pink and hair. That new girl that they were talking about was definitely **her**. He couldn't believe what was happening. She only got here but then, she already have lots of admirers. She was truly one of a kind.

_

* * *

_

Back to Sakura…

"… and that's about it." Tsunade finished.

"Here's your schedule now and…" she glanced at her watch and noticed that Sakura was three minutes late for her first class.

"You're three minutes late but don't worry, just tell your homeroom that you went here and had a short briefing. Just mention my name and everything will be alright." she grinned.

"Thank you, Ma'm." she smiled while receiving her schedule. Then, she frowned realizing that she still has a problem. She doesn't know how to get to her classroom.

Sensing her dilemma, she assured her that "Don't worry. I asked someone to fetch you and take you to your classroom. He will be here any minute now." Then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." she exclaimed. There at the door was a guy with a dark brown hair and a pair of pearly white eyes. Sakura just stared at him.

'_Hmm, this guy reminds me of… who's that guy again whom I had a crushed on when I was still a kid… ah, yeah… Aki. The only differences, though, were their eyes and color of their hair…'_

"Hello, Tsunade-sama." he greeted at the principal politely while noticing that someone was there staring at him.

"Hello, Neji. I need you to do something for me… Sakura here (pointing at her) is a new student and she doesn't know yet how to get to her classroom. Could you assist her?" Tsunade said straight away.

"Okay, Tsunade-sama." he replied.

Both the teens left her office and were now walking in the hallways. They both introduced each other a while ago and they are now officially friends (for Sakura at least). Both of them could see that classes were on going so they both passed through quietly as possible. Neji was looking ahead while Sakura was bothered by thoughts like…

'_I'm quite nervous as to who will be my adviser or my classmates. Will they be friendly to me? Will they accept me?'_

'**_Why are you bothered by that? You should be more concerned about meeting cute guys instead… Oh, wait… you don't need to worry about that 'cause, Sasuke is definitely the best-looking. Maybe even here in this campus…'_** her inner mind thought while dreaming about her and Sasuke getting together and all.

'_Don't remind me about him. He's such a jerk. Have you seen what he did a while ago? He went in the bathroom and I'm not even done yet. Grrr, the nerve of that guy!'_ she said getting pissed off again.

'**_But, you're the one who forgot to lock the door. Besides, I saw you earlier looking at him preferably his bare upper body.'_** Her inner mind smirked at the thought.

'_W-well… I was just surprised that's all. This was my first time seeing a guy without his shirt on.' _she blushed fervently while seeing an image of Sasuke a while ago… those slender arms with lean muscles, that nice body, his perfect complexion, and the list goes on. Maybe, that's why he got lots of admirers.

'**_Hehe… You're thinking about him. See, I told you. You really like him and his body. You wanna feel what it's like to be in his arms…'_**

'_Oh, SHUT UP! You don't know me at all!'_ she blushed even more.

'_**Know you? I'm YOU, remember?'** _her inner mind retorted.

After some time, she was brought back to reality when Neji called her.

"Sakura, you okay?" he said in a worried tone.

"… Uhmm, yes. I was just… nervous, that's all." she said convincingly.

"I see… Well, we're almost there. We just need to make our last turn to the right and the second room is your classroom." he explained.

"Oh, okay." she said.

They made their final turn and she was surprised to see **him** leaning on the wall near her supposed classroom. They went near him. Before Sakura went in, she mouthed a thank you to Neji and said her goodbye. Then, Neji left leaving her and a glaring Uchiha behind. Sasuke's glare seemed to be directed to Neji not to Sakura.

'_Why is he with her?'_ he thought getting jealous.

"What are you doing there?" she asked frowning and glowering at the jerk in front of her.

"You're almost seven minutes late and our teacher asked me to see if you're already there. He won't let me come in unless you're already here. And since you're here, I better get inside now." he said in an emotionless manner while standing straight and walked in.

She was about to go in but first, she needed to hide her fury as to make a good first impression when she finally stepped in. She heard that the class behind this door was now creating a noise. Then, she walked in when her adviser told her to do so.

The moment she entered the class, everything grew quiet. There was an eerie silence that seemed to drown every one of them. She walked towards her masked silver-haired adviser and began explaining why she was late. He accepted her explanation the moment he heard the principal's name. He turned to the whole class and began introducing her.

"Okay, class. We have a new student here with us." he looked at Sakura and said…

"Please introduce yourself and tell us something about you." He motioned for her to go on.

She looked at her classmates and noticed that they were all ears. Then, she began introducing herself.

"Hi! I'm Haruno Sakura. I just arrived here yesterday but I used to study here when I was still a kindergarten… Uhmm, nice to meet you all!" She bowed down as a sign of respect for the whole class.

"You may ask her some questions if you want." her sensei told her classmates. Right after that, the once quiet class created a louder noise this time. Almost all of the guys were raising their hands and were yelling things like…

"Kawaii."

"Do you have a boyfriend, Sakura-chan?"

"Are you still single?"

"You wanna go out with me?"

"Where do you live?"

"Can I have your number?"

"Are you a model or something, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura sweat dropped big time. She couldn't handle this pressure most especially the questions that were thrown at her. Besides, one thing she hated the most was to gain this much of attention although this always happen to her whenever she transferred schools. Anyway, she was glad that Ino and Hinata were her classmates.

Sensing Sakura's worry and the death glare of a certain someone with onyx eyes towards the boys who were asking her those silly questions, Kakashi chuckled beneath his mask and began contemplating.

'_This is the first time I've seen Sasuke glared like that. It must be the effect of Sakura to him… It's about time he gets a love life.'_ He chuckled again before saying…

"Okay, that's enough for today. Sakura, you may take a seat…" he said looking around for a vacant chair.

'_Perfect!' _he thought.

"… Yosh! Take a seat in that vacant chair at the back right next to Sasuke. Stand up, Sasuke, for her to know where you are."

Sasuke grumpily stood up and took a seat again completely ignoring Sakura's gaze.

Almost all of the girls glared at Sakura. They were definitely a fan girl of Sasuke.

"Why does she need to sit there beside Sasuke-kun when we couldn't." a fan girl said.

"Because that's the only seat available, Ms. Asuka." Kakashi explained with an added thought which he only kept for himself.

'_And it's perfect for my future plans.'_

"You may take your seat now, Ms. Haruno."

She walked towards her seat after bowing down to her sensei. She cast a glare at her **seatmate** to her left. He just ignored it again and looked at the sight outside the window which was next to him.

'_This is going to be a hellish year for me and **her**.'_ he thought mockingly while still contemplating about her newly fan boys and fan club.

_

* * *

_

**Kkkrrrriiiinnnggg**

"… Okay, it's lunch time now. Bye class. Don't forget your assignment." Asuma-sensei said before exiting the classroom. Soon, most of the students left too, except for Sakura, Ino and Hinata.

Both Hinata and Ino walked up towards Sakura's desk. Sakura smiled and greeted them.

"Hey Sakura, you wanna eat lunch with us." Ino friendly asked.

"Sure…" she replied while brooding if she brought her lunch. When she opened her bag, she didn't see her bento box.

"I-is there something wrong?" Hinata asked sensing her friend's discomfort.

"N-no, of course." she said while waving her hands. "Uhmm, you guys go ahead. I'm staying for a while to do something. Don't worry. I can now manage to go there."

"Okay." both of them reluctantly agreed.

"We'll wait for you." And then, they left leaving only Sakura behind.

'_What will I do now? I forgot to bring my bento box.'_ she said growing frantic. Then, she sighed deeply.

'… _But I still have to go to the cafeteria to meet my new friends. I better go then since I don't want them to be worried about me… Better think of an idea while walking there.' _she thought and got up. Then, she closed her bag and walked towards the door. When she stepped out, she failed to notice that Sasuke was there leaning on the wall. She was again petrified when he suddenly spoke.

"What were you doing there? You really took your time before going out." he said smirking at her.

She just frowned and asked in a docile way "…What are you still doing here? Aren't you gonna eat the lunch I prepared for you earlier." Then, she looked at him not noticing what he was holding in his hands, not that it was imperceptible or anything.

"I am about to do that but first… here. Take this." He replied while handing her the bento box she forgot. "You forgot it earlier so I brought it."

When she received it, she smiled brightly and said thank you to him. Then, he fought back the blush that was creeping upon his handsome face. Unknown to both of them, there was someone who was currently watching them while holding his favorite book. He was chuckling beneath his mask.

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile…

Sasuke and Sakura were now walking towards the cafeteria. She asked help to him to get there since she didn't know the way. He agreed surprisingly. Then, there was again stillness amidst them but it wasn't awkward anymore since both were feeling at peace with each other.

He glanced at her for a second and noticed that she wasn't angry anymore. Her fury had already subsided. This was the perfect time for him to apologize.

He was brooding a while ago, when classes were still on going, if he should ask for her forgiveness about what happened this morning. He had a hard time contemplating if he should, since this was again his first time to ask for one. The last time he said that was when they were younger. But since it was really his fault for not noticing the steam coming out of the bathroom, he decided to say sorry to her.

'_This is it.'_ he thought gathering up his confidence and ignoring his pride.

"Sakura…" he began.

"Yes, Sasuke?" she replied while looking at him with a mixture of confusion and worry.

"I just want to apologize for what happened this morning. I really didn't mean to interrupt you while you were still there doing your stuff." he eyed her directly gazing at her jade eyes.

Onyx met jade.

"Uhmm, about that… I'm not angry at you anymore since… it was also my fault… Sorry." She said while breaking their eye contact and just stared at the floor.

He smiled knowing that she already forgave him. This kind of smile that was currently plastered upon his face was really one of a kind… the kind of smile that he would only give to one person… **her**.

"Then, apology accepted." he said, smirking in the process.

"You, too." She smiled and looked at him. This kind of smile that was also plastered upon her face was also one of kind… the kind of smile that she would also give to one person… **him**.

They walked towards the rest of the way to the cafeteria feeling really happy and contented to what just occurred a while ago. This was really a big step towards their renewing relationship… both friendship… and love.

_

* * *

_

After lunch…

All the students had been in their respective classrooms five minutes before their time. Everybody was seated in their own desks. They were now just waiting for their adviser for their Science class.

Sakura was chatting with Naruto right now. They were introduced to each other a while ago, lunchtime, courtesy of Ino, Tenten and Hinata. She were also introduced to a guy with a jet black hair tied in a ponytail, Shikamaru; a guy with a spiky brown hair with a dog on top of his shoulder, Kiba; a guy with a spiky hair too wearing a shade, Shino; a guy who's chubby and eats a lot, Chouji; Hinata's cousin, Neji (she already knew him); lastly, the famous and the most popular guy in school with a raven hair and a pair of obsidian eyes, Sasuke. She chuckled at the memory of her shaking the hands of him a while ago when they were introduced.

'**_As if you didn't know each other'_** her inner mind said sarcastically before rolling down and laughing so hard.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was still facing the window next to him. He enjoyed watching the falling leaves. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a single Sakura petal headed his way. It went straight into his open palms and stayed there for a while until it flew a way again. This small petal kept his attention right until Kakashi arrived.

Everyone stood up and greeted him. Then, they sat back down. Almost everyone felt sleepy and some were even snoozing off. Kakashi's eyes twitched and an idea struck him.

"Since all of you are feeling energetic today…" he began, smiling beneath the mask. All the students' heads perked up and looked at him with interest. Some were already praying that he would give them a free time to do anything or a trip outside this boring classroom. But little did they know that their prayers were in vain.

"I want all of you to create a painting about the beauty of nature in the modern times."

The hopes of all the students were gone.

Kakashi heard some groans from the students which caused him to chuckle. He really wanted to annoy and tease his students.

"But Kakashi-sensei, you can't do this to us." The loud-mouth, fox boy exclaimed.

"Quiet, Naruto… As I was saying, you will not do this alone. It will be a paired activity." he continued.

"Can we chose our partners, sensei?" one of the students asked.

"Maybe…" he teased.

"No." he finally decided. "Your partners will be the one seated right next to you."

'_That means my partner is Sasuke.'_ Sakura thought as she smiled inwardly. She, of course, didn't want to be paired with a fan boy. The same thought goes to Sasuke's head.

"My partner will be Hinata-chan. Cool!" Naruto exclaimed flashing his trademark smile.

"My partner will be Ino. How troublesome!" Shikamaru thought glumly.

"What was that!" Ino glowered.

"Okay, everything is settled now. You can have you're the rest of the time as your free time." Kakashi interfered while bringing out his orange book and reading it in front of the class.

Sakura got curious on what her sensei was reading so he asked Sasuke about that. She turned to his side and began questioning him.

"Uhmm… Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"What was that book Kakashi-sensei is reading?"

He was taken aback by her question but answered anyway. "You don't want to find out about that."

"Why?" she insisted. "Is that book related to our subject?"

"Maybe."

"Then, do you think I can borrow it from him."

This riposte made him fall off his chair anime style.

"What?" she retorted. "Is it something I said?"

And that was the end of their conversation. The next classes went smooth for both of them. Soon, it was time to go home. Sakura's girl friends invited her for a short stroll in the city. She gladly welcomed it when it was approved by Sasuke. He said that he will go ahead and cook their dinner. Actually, it wasn't his turn to cook their dinner, yet, for the rest of the day, but he insisted anyway since they were having a smooth relationship.

"Don't be late for dinner, okay?" Sasuke said to Sakura before leaving the campus. She nodded and went to her friends who were waiting for her.

She caught up to them and began walking towards a shop nearby.

"Hey, Sakura." Ino exclaimed.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Why were you talking to Sasuke a while ago?" Ino smirked.

"Oh, yes… Do you have some kind of relationship with him?" Tenten butted in.

"Answer us, Sakura-chan." Hinata said timidly but still with interest.

"O-of course not. We were just friends. Besides, I only knew him today." Sakura stuttered while blushing slightly.

"Really?" Ino asked while placing her left hand on Sakura's shoulder. "If I know… Maybe, you were childhood friends and you were separated with each other and only got back yesterday."

Sakura sweat dropped asking her inner mind the question of how did she knew that. Her inner mind just shrugged. Then, she began to panic but was relieved when Ino said…

"As if, that would happen." Ino laughed.

"Uhh, yeah." Sakura added while faking a laugh.

'_If only you knew.'_

_

* * *

_

Sakura arrived at the Uchiha manor at five thirty in the afternoon. They had their dinner, watched some random television show, and washed the dishes together. All in all, it was a great bonding moment for the both them. After that, they both went upstairs and prepared themselves to go to sleep. It was definitely now time to go to sleep.

She was now sitting in her desk at her room. She got her diary from the drawer and opened it. Then, she took out a ball pen and began writing the day's events. Some of the things that she wrote there were the "bathroom incident", Sasuke's good deeds, her new found friends, and some random stuffs which were all about him. Lastly, she wrote a note which says…

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Find out about Kakashi-sensei's book. Know what it is all about. If possible, borrow it since Sasuke told me that it was about Science.

_

* * *

_

Both Sasuke and Sakura slept peacefully that night. Both were having the same smiles and same thoughts haunting their minds. Thoughts that were actually about each other and the day's events. Both thinking that maybe they had an amiss first impression on each other…

Maybe, just maybe… they could get much closer to each other and prove their differences wrong… and someday… someday surely… they will rebuild their past friendship and if they're lucky… if Lady Fate was on their side… they would fall for each other just like what happened to them in those childhood years.

**To be continued…**

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: **That's the end of my chapter. So how was it? Do you like it?… I really had a hard time writing this chapter most especially the bathroom incident. I hope it turned out fine for you guys… Well, please don't forget to leave some comments, okay? They really help me a lot. They inspire me… That's all!

Before I go, I just wanna greet you guys a Happy New Year. Better late than never, right?

I also want to thank the following for reviewing the previous chapter…

**sentimentaljuvenile****skuller31****happy-yume****tIsHa01****boredteenager****andrey4414****nhile****BloodRuby****, moonlight, ****mar25n****iluvsasukeandrobin****SophisticatedAlexir****SKYBLUE1010****, SakuraChan, Chippy, ****Icygal237****Momiro-chan****, Mistress Malfoy, ****Gensomaden-Saiyuki****Shir0-ChaN****, Krista, CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, ****Miyuki Tsukada****Lone Sakura****Ashen-Away****, Narumi-chan, lexy499, ****Shadows Child Kataki****, neon kun, mr.bean**

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_

Just a short summary for next chapter's update…

**Chapter 4: Melody of Memories**

Sasuke and Sakura got mobbed by their rabid fans' club members. The only way for them to escape was to run away for them. They ended up in the music room. Unfortunately, they got locked from outside. From inside there, they began to reminisce their childhood memories through a melody they both knew. They said to themselves that they missed their old friendship. In the end, they got what they wanted and started again.

**Warning:** more SasuSaku fluffs in the next one!

* * *


	4. Melody of Memories

**Author's Note: **I'm terribly sorry for not updating this fanfic for like three months. My school works really got in the way and made me very busy. And in addition to that, I got a major writer's block. But don't worry, I'm going to update this fic no matter what! Anyways, here's Chapter 4… Hope you'll like it!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Besides, if I own Naruto, then, I'll make Sasuke treat Sakura better.

**Summary: **They were childhood lovers separated by inevitable decision. After nine years, Fate brought them together again but got the wrong first impressions from each other. What's more is that they have to live in only one house… ALONE. Will love bloom again? Or is it the other way around?… In the end, will they ever say HOME SWEET HOME? Find out!

**Pairings:** mainly SasukeSakura… others include NarutoHinata, ShikamaruIno, and NejiTenten

_

* * *

_

**Recap of the Previous Chapter**

"I just want to apologize for what happened this morning. I really didn't mean to interrupt you while you were still there doing your stuff." he eyed her directly gazing at her jade eyes.

Onyx met jade.

"Uhmm, about that… I'm not angry at you anymore since… it was also my fault… Sorry." She said while breaking their eye contact and just stared at the floor.

He smiled knowing that she already forgave him. This kind of smile that was currently plastered upon his face was really one of a kind… the kind of smile that he would only give to one person… **her**.

"Then, apology accepted." he said, smirking in the process.

"You, too." She smiled and looked at him. This kind of smile that was also plastered upon her face was also one of kind… the kind of smile that she would also give to one person… **him**.

_

* * *

_

_The sun was shining so brightly this day. It spreads luminosity even in the darkest alley in the city. The azure blue sky seemed so calm in the eyes of the young Uchiha who was at the moment watching the beauty of his surroundings outside the window next to him. He was in school right now, listening to his teacher's voice that most likely contradicted the sound of the birds chirping from a nearby tree. His head was resting on his left hand which was situated on top of his desk._

_**Kkkrrrriiiinnnggg**_

_The birds were startled by the loud sound of the bell which signaled that the class was over. They immediately flapped their wings and flew away leaving some of their feathers behind. As soon as they left, the onyx eyes of their watcher traveled to a pink-haired girl seated right next to him. She was currently readying herself to leave the school campus. She sensed his stare and turned to look at her left side where she could see a full view of her seatmate, Uchiha Sasuke. She smiled and he gladly returned it with his own._

"_Ne, Sasuke–kun, why are you still seated on your chair doing nothing? Come on, fix your things already." She said while walking towards him and began tugging his arm._

"_I thought we're going to play in the playground after school today."_

"_We are. I'm just waiting for Iruka-sensei to arrive. He said he needs me to do something for him, maybe an extra assignment or something." He replied while getting slightly annoyed with all the tugging Sakura was doing._

"_Will you stop yanking my arm now?"_

"_Oops! Sorry Sasuke-kun." She apologized, giving him a cute, apologetic smile whilst sticking her tongue out. He smirked at her behavior._

_A few seconds had passed before the teacher that Sasuke was waiting for finally arrived._

"_Sorry for waiting." Iruka-sensei said while entering their classroom. He didn't waste any precious seconds and immediately told Sasuke his purpose._

"_I need to give you something." He said, gesturing his student to follow him. He walked out of the door._

_He stood up and began exiting their classroom. Before he completely stepped out of their room, he glanced at Sakura and said: "Wait for me, okay?"_

_Sakura just nodded her head and grinned at him. Soon, she was alone in the room with the exemption of a few girls who were glaring at her. They were definitely members of Sasuke's fan club. She paid no heed to their glares and just sat down on her chair while looking downwards, directly towards her hands which were clutching her uniform. Then, there was a moment of silence. She could only hear now the sound of the footsteps of those girls which were vibrating the wooden floor below. She sensed that they were walking towards her. She kept her head low for she still needed to gain some confidence for herself. Her head perked up when one of them called her… more likely to mock her._

"_Hey forehead-girl, it seems that you're **abnormally** large **forehead** grew **larger** today. What did you do? Bump your head again?" Asuka teased while giving a smug look. Her friends also did the same and started to make fun of Sakura._

"_No. Maybe it's because that was her punishment for being **friends** with **our **Sasuke-kun."_

"_You're right. And I bet that Sasuke-kun only made friends with her because he pitied her."_

"_Look at her. She's so ugly, weak, and very annoying."_

_Sakura couldn't seem to handle those words that were thrown at her. Those words really made an impact to her. She lowered her head and tried to control the tears that were stinging her eyes. She felt so feeble and pathetic. Maybe what they said about her were all true. Maybe she was really ugly, weak and annoying. Maybe her Sasuke-kun, her only friend, her best friend, made friends with her because he pitied her._

_Seeing her current state, Asuka and her three other friends started laughing at her. They really love to taunt her. They really love to make her cry. They really love to make her realize that she doesn't deserve their Sasuke-kun's attention. And, now, that their task was finished, they could go home contently._

"_Let's go guys!" Asuka said leading the way out of their classroom. Soon, they left leaving Sakura all alone. However, their laughter still reverberated throughout the room._

_Meanwhile…_

_Sasuke was walking back towards the room where he left his best friend. When he turned to his right, he saw four laughing girls leaving the said room. The moment they saw him, they started to flash him flirty looks and made some daft gestures just to capture his attention. As always, they were unsuccessful because there's only **one** girl who could do that. He rolled his eyes. Definitely, they're members of his not-proclaimed-and-not-recognized fan club. How he hated those girls who were part of it! They were always sending him those asinine looks trying to get his attention, stalking him, and the list goes on. But those were not the worst part yet. What's worst was the fact that they always mock and make **his** best friend cry. No one had the right to do that to her! No one…_

_He ignored them and continued his pace. When he reached their room, he immediately sought for Sakura. He found her sitting on her chair with her head hanged low. She didn't seem to notice him enter the room for there were no reactions coming from her. Something was definitely wrong. He could tell. That's why he decided to call her attention to know what it was that caused her to be like that._

"_Sakura…?" he spoke her name in an audible whisper. He saw her flinch, obviously surprised that he was finally there. She slowly raised her head up to look at him._

"… _Sasuke-kun… you're finally here." she said not looking at his face. She cast a sham smile at him to conceal her despondency. She hoped he would be fooled by it because if not, he would interrogate her until he got what he had wanted. She didn't want him to know what had happened a while ago. It's just too poignant to think of. However, too bad for her, Lady Fate wasn't on her side. The moment she smiled at him, he already knew that it was a fake one. He was her best friend damn it! Of course, he wouldn't be easily tricked by it. He knew her more than she could think of._

_He was slightly indignant by her actions. However, he couldn't stay mad at her especially since something bad had happened to her that caused her to lose her cheery persona. He bet it had something to do with those girls he passed by a while ago. They seemed to be capable of doing something appalling to his best friend. But, what he's thinking was all just a hunch. He needed to know the truth and he could only get it from her. He finally decided to ask her about it. He looked at her sad face and asked…_

"_Sakura, what hap--" but before he could finish his sentence, he was blocked by Sakura._

"_You told me we will go to the playground right? Let's go then." she said while standing up, still not bothering to look at his face. She grabbed her bag and immediately proceeded to go out of the room. It took him exactly ten seconds to register what she had said to him. He at once got his bag and went after her. She was about to step out of the room when she was pulled from the wrist._

"_Hey Sakura, you don't have to hide anything from me. I know that there's something bad that happened to you while I was gone. I can tell by that sad look you're wearing… You can tell me about it. Come on, what's wrong with you?" he said having at first an angry tone but immediately turned to a soft one when he said the last two sentences. He didn't let go of her wrist and not planning to unless he got her answers._

_She turned to face him and finally looked at his obsidian eyes. She bit her lower lip before making her riposte._

"…_I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. It's just that I remembered something that made me sad that's all… I don't want to tell you about it because they were just some silly thoughts… You believe me, right?" she said while giving him a please-believe-me-and-don't-question-me-anymore look._

_With that kind of look, he sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't do anything anymore. He didn't want to force some answers out of her. That would be so not like him to her. He opened his eyes and sighed again. He decided to give in to her request and not interrogate her any longer._

"_Aa" he replied._

"_Thanks for believing me, Sasuke-kun." she said while giving him a small smile in return before looking down again._

'_She was still not okay.' he thought glumly. He needed to do something to make her happy again. But what? Suddenly, an idea popped on his tiny head which caused him to cast a childish smirk._

'_She will really be happy after this.' he thought gleefully._

"_Hey, Sakura…" he said while grinning, still holding her wrist. She looked up at him and motioned for him to continue what he was saying. However, instead of continuing his speech, he gently dragged her out of their classroom. She was very puzzled at where they were going. She decided to ask him about it._

"_Where are we going?" she managed to speak while being dragged away by her best friend._

"_You'll know once we get there. Just come with me, okay?" he replied while leading her towards **that** place in their school._

_After a few turns and a flight towards the stairs, they finally arrived at the place where Sasuke had led her to. They entered the room and Sakura grew more baffled each second._

"_Why are we here in the Music room?" she asked while eyeing the said room. She immediately took notice of the grand piano that was situated at the center of the room which was surrounded by chairs. She moved closer to the instrument and touched it slightly. She closed her eyes and imagined herself playing the piano. Unfortunately, she still doesn't know how to play one. She opened her eyes when Sasuke turned on the lights to the room. He walked towards the piano as well. He sat at the stool and touched the keyboard. He, then, motioned for Sakura to seat beside him. After that, he answered her question._

"_I'm going to play you a song since you're feeling sad… Hope this will cheer you up."_

_He then began playing the piano with such expertise. She was surprised to know that he could play the instrument. The last time they went in this room, he told her that he didn't know how to play it. She believed him of course. But then, when did he start attending piano lessons? _

_She shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking these thoughts especially since his best friend was playing her a song. She couldn't explain what she's feeling once she heard it. It was so beautiful… so heavenly. But what's more was that she knew that song. She just couldn't remember what it was. She closed her eyes and let the sound penetrate her mind. The moment she closed her eyes, she finally recalled what song it was. It was the song that her mother used to serenade her before going to sleep. She remembered that she too would hum it to her best friend. That thought brought a genuine smile to her face._

_Even though he put all his concentration in playing the piano, he could still gaze at her. He smiled when he saw that she was smiling and was back to her cheery demeanor. His plan was indeed a success. He was originally planning to keep this a secret until her birthday though. But, what the heck! He needed to do this now. He'll just think of other surprises for her on her birthday. Right now, what's more important was that she was happy again and had forgotten about her worries a while ago._

_He stopped playing when he felt Sakura's slender arms wrapped around his neck. He looked down at her and noticed that she was crying. But he knew all too well that the tears she shed were tears of happiness and maybe… contentment. He brought his arms on her back and hugged her in return. She smiled at this before saying…_

"_Thank you, Sasuke-kun."_

_

* * *

_

**Home Sweet Home**

by Celestartial Blossoms

**Chapter 4: Melody of Memories**

He woke up at exactly five o' clock in the morning to prepare their meals for the day. It was now his turn to do the cooking as scheduled. So, he languidly sat up on his bed and stretched his arms. He messed up his hair a little before wearing his slippers and went toward his cabinet to get a dark blue towel. He walked towards the door and turned the knob so he could step out of his room, going straight to the bathroom next to it. When he was inside the bathroom, he immediately locked the door remembering the accident that occurred yesterday. That thought brought a blush on his handsome face. He stripped off all of his clothing and placed it inside his separated laundry bin. He walked towards the shower and closed the curtains. Myriad numbers of water droplets could be heard and steam could be seen coming out of the room.

When he was done taking a shower, he immediately proceeded to his room and changed into his school uniform. He left the first three buttons from the top of his polo shirt undone. After a while, he decided to leave his room and go downstairs towards the kitchen where he would prepare their meals. He was about to go down when he decided to check on someone.

He walked towards the last room on the left and stopped when he was in front of the guest room door. He hesitated to open the door at first but his desire to check up on **_her_** won in the end. He slowly placed his right hand on the knob and turned it slightly. Fortunately, she didn't lock her door when she slept last night. He opened it silently and gradually until he could see her sleeping form. It was a good thing since she was facing the door when she was sleeping. That's why he could see clearly her sleeping face because of the light that penetrated the opened door. She looked so peaceful and… breath-taking. Yeah, that's right! She was just like a sleeping angel.

Right now, he could only think of coming closer to her bed and caress her face. He also had the desire to tuck those lose bangs away from her face. But he couldn't do that. If she woke up and found him there, there would be a lot of explaining to do. Besides, she might think of him as a pervert and create some distance between the two of them. He hated to admit it but he really didn't want that to happen. He wouldn't take it if his still-called best friend would walk out of his life again. Never!

After a minute or two, he closed the door of her room feeling satisfied. He really needed to cook their breakfast and lunch on the dot for he already wasted his precious time watching her sleep. He smiled when he thought that it was all worth it.

_

* * *

_

The door to the guest room of the Uchihas opened from the inside to reveal a very cheery pink-haired girl clad in her school uniform. She looked at her wrist watch and read the time. It was now six forty-five in the morning, time for her to go down. But before walking out from her room, she got her bag and some other things.

The moment she passed by the raven-haired teenager's room, she remembered her dream a while ago. She dreamt of a time in her sleep when her bedroom door creaked open. Then, suddenly a blinding light coming from the opened door caused her eyes to twitch a bit in annoyance. But right after that, she could at that time sense a pair of eyes watching over her. Instead of being terrified, she felt the opposite. She felt happy and contented. She finally felt someone watching over her, somewhat protecting her, other than her mother. She smiled at the feeling she experienced. She hoped that everyday in her dream her mysterious guardian would do that to her. That would certainly be a bliss!

She went down the stairs and without delay proceeded to the kitchen. She found Sasuke in there. Her happiness about her dream was immediately replaced by amazement. She eyed him and blushed at his appearance. For her, he looked so handsome when he was clad in an apron covering his uniform. He, of course, noticed that a pair of eyes was watching him. He felt slightly infuriated at the fact that he was being watched. He didn't stop what he was doing when he said to her…

"Could you stop staring at me now? It's getting annoying." he said in an exasperated voice. She blushed in embarrassment after being caught in the act so she decided to change the subject.

"S-sorry… Anyways, what's for breakfast?" she asked while walking towards him. She instantly caught sight of their bento boxes. She noticed that they had different viands. She decided to inquire him about it.

"Hey, why do we have different foods? It's not fair!" she pouted and looked at him. He stopped what he was doing and frowned at her.

"Have you forgotten what happened yesterday during lunch? We almost got caught thanks to **OUR** same foods that **YOU** made." he answered sarcastically remembering that their friends almost figured out that they have some sort of connections with each other (worst was that they were living together without an adult to supervise them). He sighed and went back to what he was currently doing. Thanks to his excuse that it was merely a coincidence, their secrets were left hidden for now.

Realizations dawned upon her.

"Hehehe… guess I forgot." she said timidly while twiddling with her fingers, a blush evident on her face. How could she forget! She's not even an adult to be that forgetful, right? Covering her embarrassment, she decided to change the subject… **_again_**.

"Anyway…" she began but got caught when she eyed the food that Sasuke was about to place in his bento box. It's one of her favorite foods.

'…_Shrimp Tempura.'_ At the thought of that food, inner Sakura was now drooling hungrily inside her other self's mind.

"… Can I have one of those?" she asked not taking her jade eyes off that food.

"No." he replied as soon as the question left her mouth.

"Why not!" she whined while pouting at him, bringing her hands to rest upon her waist.

"That's my favorite food!" she continued to moan, her cute pout still evident on her beautiful face.

"No."

"Why not! Please Sasuke. Onegai!" She brought her hands together and began pleading for him to say yes with a matching puppy dog eyes. He grew more irritated each second. He really wanted to stop this childishness of hers right now so he faced her and planned to snap at her. For Pete's sake, his patience was running out! But then, the moment he looked at her pleading face, his stoic features softened and managed to smile inwardly at the girl in front of him, thinking that…

'_She's still immature just like before when we were kids… I guess she hasn't changed completely… I'm glad…'_

Even though one of his weak spots was to see his best friend's puppy dog eyes, he really fought the urge not to give in. He had to! It's for her own good!

"Onegai!"

"I said no."

"Why not?"

"You're allergic to shrimps, remember!" he hissed.

She was really surprised that he could still remember that little information about her. It's been nine years since she had left, yet, he knew so many things about her up to now. She smiled to herself… She hoped so!

"… Hai. But even though… I still love them. Besides, my allergies aren't that serious. Plus, I have my medicine with me." she replied in a matter-of-factly voice.

Sasuke was thoughtful for a moment about what she had said. Sakura noticed this and thought that there's a high possibility that she may win their battle. She grinned brightly. Her inner mind was dancing with joy. Besides, no one could resist her irresistible puppy dog eyes. Even the iciest of hearts, like the raven-haired boy in front of him, couldn't do it… She really hoped so!

"My answer is still a no **and** I won't change my mind."

Her grin turned into a scowl. Her inner mind stopped dancing and began shedding waterfalls tears. Unfortunately, her act didn't succeed, which means that even the iciest of hearts could refuse to give in to those eyes.

_

* * *

_

At Konoha University…

Sasuke arrived in their school first before Sakura did. He left her alone in their house right after a series of petty squabbles that they had during breakfast. It's not a big deal actually because one of them had to leave first before the other to prevent their secret to be revealed to the public especially to the school's authority. If ever they found out, that means they would be kicked out of school for doing such **offensive** acts. Their just sixteen for Pete's sake!

He was about to enter the school's campus when half of the girls' population in their school were all waiting for him to do their usual habits. He had to pick up his pace to avoid all those girls from pestering, annoying, and swooning all over him. Up to now, he still couldn't believe that he could get these so much attention when in fact he was not a famous actor or a notable singer in their country. Girls!

After several minutes of escaping his fan girls, he went inside their classroom and thanked God that there weren't so many people in the room yet. He sat at his respective seat next to the window and settled his bag to his side. He could see the idiotic grin a certain blond-haired guy was giving him as he was currently walking towards him. He ignored him and looked at the window which gave him a full view of the entrance gate of their school. He turned his gaze to a certain pink-haired girl who was mobbed by her own fan boys outside. He also couldn't believe why many boys were giving her so much attention when in fact she was just a new student. Unconsciously, he was giving each one of those males a deadly glare and was thinking about stuffs such as 'they don't know her so get away from her' and 'you're all idiots for liking her' and even 'what to do with you all?' while giving a very lethal glare. These stuffs didn't go unnoticed to the cerulean-eyed guy who was now beside him trying to get his attention away from the sight outside the window.

"Sasuke-teme! Are you listening to me! I said…" Naruto yelled on top of his lungs which made all the people around them to look at them both and was cut off when Sasuke told him to shut up.

"You can't do that to me, Sasuke-teme!" the cerulean-eyed retorted back.

Sasuke smirked which irritated Naruto even more. "I already did dobe."

Before the two of the most handsome guys got into a fight with each other, they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of their new classmate. She was standing in front of their classroom door with one hand clutching it while the other was on her knee. She was sweating and panting heavily. It's a good thing though that she still looked beautiful and fresh despite of all the running she did to flee from her fan boys.

Naruto turned his full attention to his pink-haired friend while smiling one of his brightest smiles. He at once had forgotten about his previous fury to his ice-cube friend. He waved his arm enthusiastically gesturing her to take her seat on her chair which was two chairs away from him.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" he greeted her ardently as he saw her coming their way. She greeted him back including Sasuke who was eyeing her with disinterest as always before she took her seat next to him. Fortunately enough, she got herself a five-minute break before their Math teacher arrived.

_

* * *

_

At the gym…

Right after their Math teacher had dismissed them, they immediately proceeded to the changing rooms where they changed into their comfortable uniforms for their Gym class. Today, they were going to have a practical test on Archery to test if they'd learn something from the past days' lessons and practices. If ever they failed to hit at least one bull's eye, then, they have to face the dire consequences. They would have to run fifty laps around the race track for not less than twenty minutes.

"That is the power of the spring of youth!" Their teacher justifiably and weirdly reasoned out.

Speaking of their teacher, he just arrived in his favorite spandex suit. After greeting those students who were present, he began doing his push ups while waiting for the others. Then all of a sudden, his favorite student, Lee, joined him. He was so touched that he began to cry and so was Lee. All those people who'd seen the two sweat dropped and rolled their eyes.

Sasuke and some of his classmates were already there, preparing their needed equipments. Some were making sure that their bows were fixed while a few of them were positioning the target. All of them including their teacher, except the raven-haired lad stopped what they're doing when the girls entered the gymnasium. All of their eyes were focused to only one girl… **_their new classmate._** Right after they saw her with her two friends, silence filled the whole place. This eerie silence caught the attention of our raven-haired lad that he had to stop what he was doing and looked at the scene before him. The moment he saw **_her_**, he too, had his jaw dropped though unseen by the people around him.

'_I must admit that she looks more beautiful in a high ponytail.'_ he complimented her in his thoughts. Half a minute had passed before few of them whistled at her, invited her on dates, and so on.

"You must be the new student." Gai-sensei walked towards Sakura.

"Ahh, just like I suspected…" he observed her closely before continuing "…you have the flame of youth in your body…"

He did his famous pose showing his perfect white teeth that could blind everyone **literally**. Sakura scratched her head and sweat dropped. Ino whispered that he always says that to new students as a form of greeting or something which she too wasn't sure about, so, she need not worry. Then, a brown-haired boy walked towards their teacher and asked him a question which made him recover from his earlier pose.

"Hey sensei, since Sakura-chan is new here and we're having our test on archery…" he eyed the girl with hearts in his eyes… definitely a fan boy. "… do you mind if I teach her?"

The bowl-cut teacher pondered the boy's suggestion. He was extremely happy at the fact that his own student was willingly volunteering himself to help his fellow student. Truly, the flame of youth was flaring intensely within their souls. He might as well agree with him. But before he could answer the boy's offer, lots of them came all at the same time.

"You can't teach her. You're not good enough," a boy retorted. Then, another one…

"You can't even shot a bull's eye. Let me help her instead," and another one…

"No, you can't! I'm much better than any of you. Pick me instead!"

"No, Gai-sensei… Pick me! Pick me! I'm the BEST remember! THE BEST! Better than Sasuke-teme…" Naruto yelled which earned him a hit on his head from the one and only THE Uchiha Sasuke.

Soon, every boy charged Gai-sensei, demanding him to accept their own offers instead. The teacher was panicking intensely. Sweat came pouring down his face like rain which soaked his green attire. What will he do now? What CAN he do? Who will he choose?

He eyed his students frantically from left to right at a fast pace. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. He stopped himself from doing that when he heard a SWOOOSH sound coming right straight at him. It's going to hit him! He panicked and so was everyone else!

3

2

1

It missed!

Bull's eye

He missed it for a mere inch. Thank goodness he wasn't hit or else he would be dead right now. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth and he looked at his back to find who did that. He was going to teach that person a lesson, a very **unforgettable** lesson. But he couldn't bring himself to do that since that person was no other than the greatest Archer on this class…

Uchiha Sasuke

"There's no need to teach her how to play this sport. She already knew how to." Sasuke said monotonously as always.

"Right?" he whispered to her when he saw that she was at his side. He only got a smirk from her for a reply and that was already enough. Upon seeing a pile of spare arrows and bows from the benches, Sakura bended down and got her own set of bow and arrow. She positioned the arrow into the bow and pulled it. She concentrated at her target and SWOOOSH! It's a bull's eye! Everyone was impressed at her. She moved with such ease and from the looks of it, she was veteran just like Sasuke.

"…Cough Cough… It looks like she won't need an instructor after all. Now, let's get the youth's flame burning!" Gai-sensei said. He grouped them into pairs and fortunately, Sasuke and Sakura were partners. Both partners were going to compete with each other. Whoever will have the most bull's eye would win.

"Hey Sakura, let's make this test even better…" Sasuke suggested while smirking.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked innocently.

"Let's make a bet, shall we?" the smirk on his face got even bigger. "Whoever loses this game will have to volunteer to clean the whole classroom for a week ALONE… What can you say to it?"

"Hmm…" she ponders for a while before giving him a grin. "…Sure… sounds fun to me! But mind you, I WILL not lose to you."

"I know that." He continued smirking which she found rather cute about him.

Their game had commenced already. Both had the same determination not to lose this game. Both of them, too, possessed the same skill and confidence that they would win it. And so far, both of them had the same score and hadn't missed a bull's eye. Their classmates that had been watching them were really amazed at the fact that they thought that they were watching a live competition in the Olympics.

'_This will take a while.'_ The two had same thoughts plaguing their minds.

It was now Sakura's twelfth shot and, unfortunately, her last one. Sweat was dripping down her flawless face. She positioned her bow and arrow and was now ready to take her shot. Unfortunately, when she was about to do that, a butterfly from who-knows-where-it-came-from flew right at the path where she had directed her arrow. Losing her concentration, she awkwardly shot her arrow and missed her target.

"It missed." she whispered desolately while biting her lower lip.

Sasuke couldn't believe that she had missed her target for the first time again since when they were still young. He knew that she did that unintentionally. Instead of being happy for her missed shot, he felt the opposite. He positioned himself for his last shot. Everyone who was watching was feeling excited as to who will win it. This last shot would mean a victory for him or a tie which seemed impossible for the girl since she knew that he hadn't missed any shots yet. She knew that she had already lost.

On the contrary, was it Lady Fate or was it done intentionally that… he, too, had MISSED his last shot.

'_What happened?'_ she thought not believing her eyes.

Everyone was silent. Sasuke had no emotions displayed upon his face. He was emotionless again. It seemed that he didn't mind what happened. And, it was their teacher who broke the silence.

"… I guess… we have a tie here…"

_

* * *

_

Lunch Time…

The bell had rung five minutes ago. Sakura was still too dazed about what happened earlier during Gym class. They had a tie. This only meant that they would have to clean their classroom for a week. Was it really just her or was Lady Fate really playing tricks on her? First, she met Sasuke in a very unfortunate way. Second, she learnt that she had to live with him alone. Then, he had to see her half-naked yesterday… And, the only thing that she could do now was to sigh. Here she goes again! She was again thinking unnecessary thoughts. But there seemed to be a question that was intriguing her so much.

'… _Did Sasuke miss his last shot intentionally? Hmm… Nah! Impossible…'_ she kept pondering.

'**_What if he did?'_** her inner mind answered back.

'_That's impossible! I mean… he's the one who suggested the bet so I'm sure that he's very confident to win… Besides, what could be a good reason for him to miss it?'_ she retorted.

'_**You're a good reason for him to do that…'**_

'_You must be kidding me?… He never did that before… When we were kids, he taught me how to play it. Then, when I learned how to, he always challenged me in a match. I always lose of course. We never had a tie.'_ She thought miserably.

'_**I know that. But, there's still a possibility. Anyway, why don't you just ask him?'**_

'_Uhmm… Maybe I will.'_

With that thought, she stood up determinedly and got her bento box inside her bag. She searched for her friends and saw them talking to Naruto and Shikamaru which was a good thing for her. She made a side long glance and saw Sasuke in his usual sitting position with his eyes closed and a seemingly bored expression. She was about to ask him when her friends interrupted her.

"Hey Sakura-chan… Sasuke-teme, we'll eat at the roof top today." a hyper blond-haired boy exclaimed.

"Yeah! Let's go now, Sakura!" yelled Ino.

"… coming…" Sakura said in a dismissive tone before following her friends out of the room.

'_I'll just ask him later at home.'_

Sasuke got up from his chair holding his own bento box and journeyed his way up to the roof top together with his friends. Upon opening the door to the said place, the wind welcomed them with a blow that swayed and disheveled their hairs. There weren't many students around so they easily saw the rest of their gang who were waving at them to catch their attentions. They immediately went there, said their greetings, and sat where ever they wanted to.

Sakura took her seat next to Sasuke not just because there's no place left in their circle position but also because she wanted to as well. Before opening her bento box, the events of this morning resurfaced her thoughts. She gritted her teeth unconsciously remembering their argument about the shrimp. He was very vicious when he didn't agree to give her some of her favorite food even if she was allergic to it. What's the use of medicines, right? Besides, it **_IS_** only a minor allergy. He didn't have to make a big deal out of it.

'_Darn him!'_ she cried inwardly. She stole a glance at his bento box and noticed that he wasn't opening his yet.

'_What's gotten into him? Isn't he hungry? Well, I am so I better eat this up…'_ she thought before untying the heart-designed cloth that was covering hers. When she was done, she opened her bento box and a letter was seen right before her very eyes. She read it and it said:

"You better take your medicines right after you've eaten your lunch or else… I already readied them for you so you'll not have anymore excuses. **Understand?**"

She didn't have to guess whom it came from because she was **absolutely** sure who wrote it. She recognized his neat handwriting from any where.

Yes.

It came from **_him_**.

She smiled genuinely at him while clutching the piece of paper close to her heart, completely unseen by everybody except Sasuke of course. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes just in time to witness the scene that made his heart skip a beat and have a tinge of red on his cheeks… She was actually smiling sweetly at him just like the good old times, the first one since she got back.

'_Why am I feeling like this? What's wrong with me?… She's just my childhood best friend and nothing more. Damn it!'_ he reprimanded himself while unconsciously stealing a glance at the pink-haired beauty. He decided to open his own bento box and began eating his lunch since she was already half way done with hers.

'_Delicious! I better thank Sasuke for this later.' _Sakura exclaimed to herself.

_

* * *

_

Things went smoothly after the whole gang's lunch at the roof top. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to them… well, except for the getting restless fan club of both Sasuke and Sakura who kept on chasing after them like a media reporter would chase a famous actor or an actress just to get a big scoop. It seemed like their fans all over the school had learned the neck-to-neck archery competition that the two had earlier and because of that, they sought after them just to ask if they could teach them a thing or two about it which they knew would appear for the upcoming Sports Competition.

'**_Heck, it's as if Gai-sensei hasn't taught them yet the sport!'_** Sakura's inner mind exclaimed as she was trying to listen assiduously to her History teacher's lecture about the French Revolution. Her teacher was actually good in explaining these things. She would always elucidate every single detail. However, her voice was so soft that's why it's barely decipherable by the students seating at the back. She scanned her other classmates and found them not caring what the discussion was about. They were chatting, sleeping or near to sleeping, eating, reading a comic book, yawning… At the mention of the word "yawn", she couldn't help but to do that too. Now, she's sure that yawns were in fact contagious. After a minute of copying and jotting down some important notes from her sensei's lecture for that day, the school bell had finally rung indicating the end of their class. All students started to fix their things and leave the room immediately.

"Hey, Sasuke…" Sakura whispered softly interrupting him from fixing his bag.

"Hn?" He replied without even glancing at her and continued putting his belongings inside his bag.

"I'm going to the library today to lend some Mystery books I can read at home. I'll be a little late in preparing our dinner, okay?" She spoke quietly avoiding others to hear their conversation that might reveal their secret. She stood up right after saying her riposte and zippered her bag. She was about to leave without hearing his reply when he stopped her from leaving.

"I might as well come with you…" He started faintly after losing an internal battle with his inner self debating whether he'll go with her or not.

She was slightly flabbergasted when he said that. It was uncharacteristically of him to do it and he certainly knew that fact. Since she returned here, she realized that he became more insensitive and cold just like the little boy he was when she first spotted him before introducing herself in front of their kindergarten class, the same time when they haven't been friends yet. And as of now, their status was like that. They weren't comfortable with each other up till now.

Sasuke saw a glint of confusion and shock as he was staring at her jade eyes. He immediately finished what he was saying to evade any more confusions and queries she might ask later.

"…since I don't have anything else to do at home and I DON'T want to cover you up from doing YOUR chores just like yesterday." He said flatly hoping that she'll buy his alibi.

"Oh, I see. Let's go then!" He heard her say before flashing him a smile and proceeded to bid farewell to her friends.

When they were out of the room, they walked side by side towards their destination in utter silence. Because Sakura wasn't accustomed to this, she decided to have a short conversation with Sasuke.

"Uhh, Sasuke…" She started lightly while facing him with a cheery smile.

"Hn?" He replied not bothering the small talk she was doing.

"…What do you want for dinner today?" She asked.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter to me anyway." He answered curtly upon seeing a figure of a man he knew all too well approaching them. He narrowed his eyes and gripped his bag a little tighter than usual knowing that his rival was coming.

"Hey, Sakura-san… Sasuke-san." the pearl-eyed guy greeted them.

"Hello, Neji-san!" Sakura greeted back, smiling at him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the library to do my research." Neji answered.

"Really? We're going there too." She inquired him with a lot of enthusiasm at her voice. He smiled at this which caused the Uchiha to clench his bag so tight that it might be destroyed any time soon.

'_Oh, great! Just great!'_ He exclaimed inwardly while watching the both of them conversing with each other forgetting that he was there with them. He gazed intently at their backs following them down the hallways and towards their destination. Every time his eyes landed on the back of his rival, he would glare daggers at him. But, he didn't want to join in with their conversation nor did he want to eavesdrop at what they're talking about.

No!

It wasn't his character to do that.

The only possible thing for him to do at the moment was to let them be and mind his own business even if he didn't want to actually.

He looked at his surroundings to divert his attention away from the two. It was the first time this day that he noticed the vicinity of their school. It seemed rather quiet and vacant than usual. There weren't many students loitering and chatting around the hallways, a habit they must do before leaving their campus. Come to think of it, the members of his fan club were nowhere in sight… and so were hers.

'_This could mean trouble.'_ He pondered charily thinking of the possibilities that his fan club would do to him. He wasn't getting paranoid or anything mind you. He was just so sure that something would happen later. To prove his point, a sudden gust of wind came hurdling down their way which made him cringe a little. Oh how he hated and was disgusted with those bimbos!

They were now walking up the stairs onto the next floor where their library was located when Sakura lost her balance. Sasuke, too engrossed with what he's thinking, saw it just at the nick of time. He was about to catch her like what he always did when they were just a kid when Neji beat him to it. Neji caught her arms gently but firmly and pulled her towards him encircling his arms around her form before Sasuke could react and before she could fall down onto his own awaiting arms. Neji steadied the girl in his arms without letting her go and just stared at her intently as she was staring back at him lost in their own worlds.

Sasuke was now agitated and infuriated by the sudden turn of events. He bowed his head in defeat and was glad that his bangs covered the emotions he was feeling. Just a while ago, his rival and his childhood friend were conversing happily much to his own disbelief and now, they were embracing each other! But that's not all! He could see a tinge of red upon **her **cheeks and on closer examination, he could without a doubt witness that they're both **enjoying** their position. Without thinking rationally, he perked his head up and glanced at them for the last time. He clenched his fists until it turned white and left the two in peace. He wasn't needed anymore so he better go home immediately.

'_I hate what I'm feeling!'_ he confessed to his inner self while walking in a fast pace away from them. He was pissed of and his face showed it immensely.

'… _I don't even know why am I feeling this way…'_ he trailed off and heaved a deep sigh.

'**_One word… Jealousy!'_** His inner self replied.

'_No! It can't be! Why would **I** be jealous? She's just my childhood friend whom I haven't seen for a long time… Besides, she doesn't mean anything to me…'_ His voice getting softer and gloomier each time.

'**_Really?'_** His inner self asked him in a mocking voice with a derided smile to match it.

'… _Well, okay! I do care for her just a little bit!'_ He admitted painfully.

_'**Whatever you say…'**_

'… _If ever what you're saying is true that I do feel jealous… It must be because I failed to save her just like in the past… and what I failed to do is what my rival did… instead of me…'_ He continued.

'**_It can't be help and you know it… Why don't you--'_** His inner self wasn't able to finish whatever he was supposed to say when _she _arrived and called his name.

"Hey Sasuke!… Sasuke, wait for me!" She called out to him repeatedly but it seems that he was ignoring her.

'_What's wrong with him?'_ She asked mentally while quickening her pace to catch up with him. The moment she realized that he left her without even saying goodbye or anything for that matter, she hurriedly removed herself from Neji's embrace, excused herself, at the same time thanked him for what he did. She's been searching him for a while now.

"Sasuke, wait up!" Finally, she caught up with him. She grasped his arm lightly and asked him where he was going.

"I'm going home." He replied curtly while removing her grasp from his arm.

"But--" Before she could retort something at him, she was interrupted by the sudden shaking movement of the floor beneath them and loud stomping of myriad feet coming towards them. They both faced the direction of these noises slowly while sweating really hard. They knew who were coming at them and they were dreading each moment of it.

"THERE THEY ARE!" shouted an auburn-haired girl leading a hundred of admirers from their own fan clubs.

With that said and without further ado, the two sprinted and ran as fast as they could away from those crazed admirers. They didn't know where they were going or care for that matter as long as they would be brought to a safe place by their feet. Their minds shouted like a mantra the word RUN, RUN, RUN repeatedly. They could feel that their admirers were getting so close to them. They turned the corner immediately and found an opened door. They went inside the room and locked the door fast wishing that they wouldn't be seen. They could here the ear shattering noises of undying confessions thrown at them against the door. They leaned against the door and waited until they're completely gone.

_

* * *

_

A solitary figure hidden in the shadows of the corridor was watching his two popular students getting mobbed by their demented admirers. A while ago when he was about to go at the Faculty room, he accidentally saw them headed towards the fourth floor. There were three of them actually. The sole girl lost her balance and was caught by the boy next to her from falling down the stairs. At this, his covered face became serious and his lips turned into a grim line. But that was only for a moment, his straight lips soon turned into a smirk seeing the young raven-haired Uchiha seething in anger and jealousy. He wasn't surprised when that furious boy left. He knew his character pretty well and this was exactly the reason why he followed them since earlier.

He cast a victorious smirk when he saw them heading towards the opened room he left for them. All was going straight into his plan. He took a key from his pants' pocket and his smirk grew into a devious one. He walked towards the room after the commotion was over. His mind kept screaming the words 'time to do the last phase of the plan'.

'_They'll thank me for this one day._' he thought while holding back a series of Machiavellian laughter that were about to come out.

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile…

Sakura took this opportunity to gaze at the room where they were in and found herself at the exact place where Sasuke took her to cheer her up when they were still a kid.

'… _the music room…'_ She thought blissfully while reminiscing the time when Sasuke first played her a song… a song they both knew. She smiled a little remembering how she was touched by his simple gesture that really meant so much to her up till now. She searched for the grand piano and found it still in the center of the room with the chairs surrounding it.

'_Nothing changed much…'_ she recalled and went near the grand piano. She traced the delicate instrument gently still recollecting the song that he played just for her. She moved to sit at the stool reserved for the pianist and opened the cover of the keyboard. She fingered the keys lightly knowing that she hasn't learned how to play that instrument yet. She could but she refused. She remembered the time when her father asked her about this, but then, she declined his Dad's offer. The reason was simple. It was because she wanted her best friend to be the one who's playing it for her. Even if she does manage to play it, she wouldn't be happy knowing that the one playing wasn't **_him_**.

"They're gone now." Sasuke said tersely interrupting her train of thoughts. He turned around and found Sakura sitting at the stool where they once sat in the past. He, too, began reminiscing the exact memory that she was thinking. He remembered all too well the song that he first played at her. Actually, that song was the first one he learned ever since he started taking up his piano lessons. His teacher was infuriated back then when he refused to learn first the basic songs for beginners like him. He insisted on learning** _that_**song and refused to listen to his teacher's plead. At the end, of course, he got what he wanted.

The first song he played to her was the first one he learned to play solely for her.

"Do you know how to play the piano now?" He asked, his voice still sounded a little pissed.

"Uhmm, no." She replied softly while avoiding his gaze.

'_I'm hoping you'll play it for me.'_ She added as an afterthought.

Her reply was followed by utter silence. They didn't want to say anything for they didn't know what to say to each other. Sakura was contemplating to herself whether she'll ask him to play something for her while Sasuke, on the other hand, was reflecting if he'll play something to her or not. After some time, he chose the latter. He wanted to play her **_that_ **song but he was discouraged by what he saw earlier. He still couldn't accept the fact that he didn't help her. And that caused him to see the spark emanating from the two.

"I'm leaving." He retorted as he faced his back to her. He proceeded to walk towards the door and unlock it. He grabbed the door knob and began to turn it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't budge.

"Shit!" he cursed silently while jamming the door open with all his strength left.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" She asked while standing up and going towards him. Worry evident in her lovely jade eyes.

"The door wouldn't open. I think we're locked from outside" came his answer.

"What!" she screamed in utter disbelief.

"You heard me. Don't make me repeat my words." he retorted completely annoyed at the girl he's stuck with.

"What are we going to do? It's getting late already." she said fretfully.

"Let's just wait here until someone found out that we're here." he replied logically while leaning his back against the wall, crossing his arms near his chest at the same time.

Sakura sat back on one of the chairs surrounding the grand piano. She looked at her hands which were situated atop of her thighs regretting the situation they were in. The two teenagers kept their position like that until Sakura remembered a question that's been bugging her since earlier.

"Hey Sasuke, why did you leave me behind earlier? I thought we're going to the library together but then, you left us without saying anything." She asked looking straight at his manly figure on the wall while pouting her lips.

"It's none of your business." He retorted quickly.

"But it **IS** my business."

"Really now?" He answered back sarcastically as he closed his narrowed eyes imagining what happened earlier.

"Yeah!" She gritted her teeth and raised the volume of her voice for his foul and insensitive attitude. She was only asking him a question. Why was he so worked up! She couldn't believe him. She was stupid enough to deem that somehow they're relationship was going back to the way it's supposed to be back then. Now she knew that she's wrong!

She kept on muttering inaudible words continuously when she heard someone playing the piano. She looked up and saw the raven-haired boy positioned in front of the colossal instrument playing a song that she didn't quite recognize. It wasn't **_their_** song either. Nevertheless, the way he played the notes of that song was so awesome that her anger towards him subsided fast. She closed her eyes and let the melody penetrate her mind.

Sasuke hid a smirk when she stopped her annoying mutterings and listened to the song he's playing. He didn't actually know the reason why he went towards the piano and played her a song. All he knew was he hated having a fight with her especially if **_he's_** the one who started it. All of a sudden, he felt **_her_** nearing him. He continued what he's doing, completely ignoring the fast beating of his heart when she sat down on the same stool he's sitting at. He was expecting her to say anything to him but his expectation turned futile. She just kept her mouth shut while eyeing the keys of the piano.

Several minutes had passed before the ethereal sky turned into a lovely shade of orange indicating that the sun was soon setting, preparing to rest and let the great moon take over. He was still playing the instrument he loved best whereas Sakura remained to be silent. He didn't bother to glance at her direction since earlier, not because he was still angry at her. No! He finally realized that what he's been doing to her was so childish. It must be because, he thought, it would be embarrassing if she caught him staring at her or anything close to that.

His contemplation was interrupted when he felt a sudden weight resting on his left shoulder. He stopped playing for a bit and glanced at the weight he felt. He immediately saw her pink head leaning upon his shoulder. Some of her rosette tresses fell upon her beautiful face obscuring anyone from seeing her beauty. He gently tucked those locks behind her ear and found her fast sleeping. His mouth crept upwards in an amused smile. He, then, placed his fingers on the keyboard of the piano and let them fiddle with the correct keys of **_their _**song. The euphonic melody began echoing throughout the whole room including the empty hallways of their school. After some time, he could hear muffled words coming from the sleeping figure beside him which led him into further reflections.

"I miss… Sasuke-kun."

_

* * *

_

The murky sky was swathed with brilliant radiance coming from the moon and its stars. The cool breeze made the ambiance of the night very relaxing and soothing unlike the atmosphere inside the Uchiha abode where its residents were in an uncomfortable silence ever since they came back from school. They were thankful enough when a passing janitor doing a last round check-up around the campus heard the music coming from the locked Music room and found them there. But since then, both didn't bother to start a conversation with each other either because they're still upset or both were in deep thought. Nonetheless, they'd soon come to their senses and rupture out of the wall they're creating to shun each other.

After the pink-haired beauty had done her chores, she immediately took off her pink apron and entered the living room where she found the raven-haired genius watching a game show. She decided to do the same as well since she didn't have any better thing to do. So, she sat herself quietly at the same sofa he's sitting on and kept a considerable amount of distance away from him. She glanced at him for a mere second and saw him not bothering her presence at all.

'**_You should apologize to her now while you still have the perfect opportunity.' _**Sasuke's inner mind reminded himself.

'_Shut up!'_ He answered curtly while trying to keep his full attention at the game show he's currently watching.

'**_Afraid she'll not forgive you?' _**His mind retorted mockingly.

'_No!… I just don't know what I'm going to say to her…' _

Out of the blue, her words haunted his mind again. **_"I miss… Sasuke-kun."_**

She had said those words in her sleep a while ago and up to now, he still didn't know how to react at them. Did she really miss him?… the old him? She didn't have to actually, for the Sasuke she knew was still closely intact in him. He was only having a hard time in expressing his old self since it have already been a long time he last did that. Shortly, his reveries were abruptly disrupted when the occupant of the other side of the couch rose from her seat and gestured to go out of the room, perhaps sleeping early for a change. But before she could get far from him, a temperate pull was felt that made her stop in her tracks. She turned around gradually without removing his hold on her wrist finding him staring straight at her eyes.

"Yes…?" She asked with curiosity overwhelming her features.

"I'm sorry for my actions back there." came his brief apology.

"That's okay." She responded with a small smile grazing her lips. "I-I better go now."

"I'm not done yet… I just wanted to say that…" He twisted his head to the side hiding his somewhat bashful expression before continuing.

"… I'm still the old Sasuke you know so--" Before he could finish his sentence, he was startled when Sakura hugged him with so much strength that they both fell down on the couch with her lying on top of him.

"I'm so happy you said that. I thought the Sasuke-kun I know was gone but then, when I heard the song you played before I drifted off to sleep… it somehow gave me hope that I am wrong and--" she trailed off with unshed tears falling down her cheeks. At this time, he finally had a grip with himself and managed to bring them in a seating position with her sitting closely beside him.

"Oops, sorry… Sasuke-kun." She apologized weakly before wiping her tears away but was soon stopped when Sasuke did that instead. She smiled gratefully at him before continuing her speech. "Hey, can I still call you that name? Sasuke-kun I mean."

"Do whatever you like." He answered with a satisfied smirk upon his handsome features believing that their intimate friendship was getting back to the way it's supposed to be after all.

"That reminds me…" He started lightly but finished in a lethal voice as if saying if-you-tell-a-wrong-answer-then-you're-doomed sort of way. "Have you taken the medicine I prepared for you earlier at lunch?"

After hearing his question, she began sweating heavily and fidgeting with her fingers. Her face fell before saying…

"Uhmm… no." Then, she covered her ears for his expected reply.

"**What!**" He voiced out deadly, his face showing extreme anger towards the girl beside him who was unexpectedly stifling a series of laughter.

"Just kidding." He heard her say before she began laughing heartily. Her amusement obviously became the reason for his change of emotions. He sighed. He fell easily from her trick. But that didn't matter now for he loved to hear her laughter which he missed for a long time, nine years to be exact. A moment later, her amusement soon died down but the sparkle in her still remained in her lovely emerald eyes. Oh how he loved seeing them glisten like that!

He was taken aback for the umpteenth time this day when she, without a word, leaned her head upon the crook of his neck and made herself comfortable on his shoulder.

"Hey Sasuke-kun…"

"Hn…?"

"Who's your… best friend now?"

"…!"

"I bet it's Naruto, right?"

She raised her head slightly and looked at his onyx eyes which he avoided by bowing down his head, his bangs obscuring them from letting her see his dark pools.

"No." He finally said after a moment of utter silence.

"Oh!" She mouthed incredulously while leaning back again on his broad shoulders.

"Who is it then?" She questioned in a tired voice, her eyes slowly fluttering close. She bit by bit drifted off to Dream land. But before she fell asleep completely, she felt Sasuke's arm encircling around her form and his head laid upon hers. After that, he answered her question with a genuine smile before drifting off to sleep too.

"It is still you."

**To be continued…**

_

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_

**Author's Note: **Finally, my chapter 4 is done! I'm so sorry for the long delay and this super long chapter. Do forgive me. Anyways, is Sasuke too OOC? Just wondering though… I'm kinda experimenting with his soft side especially when it comes to his feelings for Sakura.(grins) But before I end this up, I just wanna thank all those persons who reviewed my last chapter and those who added this fanfic in their favorite lists... Those reviews really made me very happy. I really appreciated all of them.

**Thanks to…**

Uchiha Sakura Blossoms, sportiegrl, Krista, Natsyourlord, AznIllusion, Blacksharingan03, Pink-Lime00, joekool, naarrruuuuttttto, Chippy, DevilsLittleSister, Sakran, Naomi Hyuuga, CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, XiaXue, shir0-chan, happy-yume, Ruriko89, boredteenager, Emily, julianne14, Miyuki Tsukada, shi hime, Kurenai Chinoumi, Mistress Malfoy, xStrawberrycream, Shadows Child Kataki, andrey4414, Roxstar12, sentimentaljuvenile, Hikari Kunoichi, x-laydee-t-chan-x, hushpuppy1, Shikukana, Sophisticated Alexir, feigning, inuyashafangirl333, Blizzie-chan, AJ the Ass Slayer and kieii

Please continue giving me comments and reviews! They do help me a lot more than you can imagine! (smiles gratefully) Thank you so much!

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Next Chapter…

**Chapter 5: A Dozen of Unexpected Events**

I hope the title gave you a hint to what's going to happen in the next installment of Home Sweet Home.


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